Platinum Hair
by xInsanoBananax
Summary: CH13 UP! After meeting Usagi, Kori discovers that she too, is a Sailor Soldier. The fight for her life begins as she falls in love and learns of her past with the Moon Kingdom. New enemies arrive, and she must rely on the powers given to her to defeat him
1. The New Girl

Author's Notes: Yes, I know this has been done many times....^.^' Yah know, entering a new Sailor Scout and all....Oh well! I apologize if it's kinda corny, it's my first fanfic and I wrote this about 4 or 5 years ago. I was scrounging through some old files and found it just laying around. Well, hope you enjoy. If you like it (even if you don't, I like bad criticism), please leave a review. This story takes place between Sailor Moon S and Sailor Moon SuperS. This fic also uses the Japanese names. Seeing as she can't turn into SuperSailorMoon here, we'll just say she still uses her third phase (Moon Cosmic Power, Moon Spiral Heart Attack). _Another_ thing, this story also has some to do with Sailor Knights. To find out more about that, go check out SailorJupiter.com - Sailor Knights. 

Disclaimer: *temporarily eats the Sailor Moon copyrights to regurgitate later*. I don't own any these characters, with the exception of the two leading characters. 

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**Episode 1: Just the Beginning**

**Chapter 1 - The New Girl**

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The girl slowly walked down the hallway of the school with her bag in hand, and a slip of paper with her room number and teacher's name on it. She approached the frosted classroom door and smoothed down her new school fuku. She didn't think she was ready for this but she had to go in eventually, right? The dark haired girl sighed and raised her closed fist to knock on the door, and tapped on it lightly. 

* * *

Usagi opened her eyes groggily, looking at the front of the classroom with a startled expression. She had been awakened from her nap, even though she wasn't supposed to be sleeping. She wiped the drool from her face and sat up straight, looking at the girl standing in front of the classroom that had the teacher's hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes fully, commenting to herself how attractive she was, and to not let her get near Mamoru. 

The girl had straight raven hair that ended just below her shoulder blades. The girl's hair was unique to others in the room. She had two long, platinum silver streaks down the front of her layered hair which framed her pale gray eyes. Her eyes themselves were misty and seemed full of secrets. 

The teacher cleared her throat, "Class, we have a new student joining us today. Her name is....." The teacher scratched her chin and turned to the girl standing uneasily at the front of the room, "What was your name again, dear?"

"Kori....Kori Oneida," replied the girl quietly. 

Everyone was staring at her, not saying a word. Her eyes scanned across the room. When she saw a girl with long, blonde hair done up in a style she didn't recognize, her eyes stopped. The girl was goggling at her and was somewhat sneering. For what reasons, Kori didn't know. 

"Thank you Kori, why don't you go sit down in that empty desk beside Usagi?" said the teacher, pointing over at the desk beside the girl with hair that resembled spaghetti and meatballs. 

Kori slowly walked to the desk and sat down with a sigh, setting her bag on her desk to take out her books. She looked to her right, and saw that the blonde-haired girl had fallen asleep. She leaned in close, and even noticed that she was slightly snoring. Kori raised her eyebrows in disbelief. How could she just fall asleep in class? 'I wonder if she does anything else but sleep...' she thought to herself. 

Her attention left the sleeping Usagi, and she glanced around the room. Everyone seemed to be studying or doing work. Her eyes fell upon a boy that also had platinum hair, and she blushed when she realized he was staring at her. She glanced away quickly, and looked at the books on her desk. She looked back up at the boy, but he had looked away and was now concentrating on his work. She studied him as he worked. His platinum hair was cut short and gelled at the front, making it spiky. From where she was sitting, it appeared he had bright, sparkling blue eyes. Eyes that Kori wished she could just stare into forever because they were so haunting. She didn't even know his name, and she wanted to uncover all the secrets that those eyes held. Even his school uniform caught her eye. It was nothing major, but was diverse none-the-less. The school jacket he wore was unbuttoned and hung open. Underneath it he wore a white dress shirt with the school emblem on it. Even better, he wore the top few buttons of his shirt undone. His school pants were no biggie, but they were slightly baggy and suited him well. Around his neck hung a thick silver chain. 

After some time of Kori staring at the boy, she failed to realize that he had turned around and was staring back at her. Realizing what was happening, Kori blinked and sat back in her seat. The boy flashed a stunning grin at her, and Kori shyly smiled back. 

* * *

At lunch later on that day, Kori chose a spot on a large birch tree in the school courtyard to eat her lunch. She sat on a wooden bench by herself, and took her salami sandwich from her paper lunch bag. She sighed as she took a bite from her sandwich. She had already gotten lost twice today, and it was only lunchtime. No one had bothered to show her around the school. Not even the blonde-haired meatball head who seemed so fascinated with her. 

As she took another bite from her sandwich, she studied the people in the courtyard around her. There weren't as many varieties of people here as there had been in California. In California, there were dozens of cultures. Here there only seemed to be oriental people like herself, and the occasional non-Japanese citizen. Kori let out a downcast sigh. She missed it back at home. Why did her parents have to move back to their homeland after nearly 20 years living in America? She didn't understand. 

Everyone in the courtyard was occupied with conversing with their friends, all except Kori. Whether they were large groups or just groups of two, she was the only one sitting alone. She saw the girl named Usagi dancing around a small group a friends, and a large brown-haired girl loomed over her. 

Kori shut her eyes and took another bite from her sandwich. Salami and mustard, what a great combination it was on whole wheat bread. Salami sandwich was probably her favorite kind. 

Kori finished chewing her food and opened her eyes. When she saw the platinum haired boy's face right in front of her own, she yelped and jumped back in surprise, nearly choking on the food still in her mouth. The result of Kori jumping back startled the boy, and he toppled onto his rear from his once-kneeling position in front of her. Kori set down her sandwich and stood up with one swift movement, "Oh I'm so sorry I didn't mean to make you fall. You just scared me that's all. You really shouldn't just sneak up on people like that you know."

"That's alright, it's my fault. I shouldn't have done it," replied the boy with a grateful smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't even get the chance to introduce myself." The boy stuck our his hand for Kori to shake, "My name's Lucas Tadashi, but you can just call me Luke." 

Kori hesitated, but before long she had her hand outstretched and shaking Luke's, "I'm Kori."

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Hehe, I hoped you liked it. I had to merge two chapters into one because they were both too short, but that's okay. ^.^ Please keep reading, there's lots of chapters written, I just have to upload them into my database. Please review!


	2. New Friends

Author's Notes: Welcome back for round two! I know these chapters are kinda short right now, but they will get longer and more exciting in the future, I promise ^.^. I'm just working on introducing the characters right now. 

Disclaimer: *temporarily eats the Sailor Moon copyrights to regurgitate later*. I don't own any these characters, with the exception of the two leading characters. 

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**Episode 1: Just the Beginning**

**Chapter 2 - New Friends**

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The next day during class, Usagi leaned over and jabbed Kori with her pencil. Kori almost yelped, but covered her mouth to prevent herself from doing so. She rubbed her arm angrily, and glared over at Usagi. "What do you want?!" she whispered harshly in the blonde girl's direction, leaning a little into the isle so she could be heard better. 

"You wanna eat lunch with me and my friends today? They said they wanted to meet you," Usagi replied, raising her eyebrows in question. 

Kori pondered on the thought. She didn't have any friends yet, and she might not have any for a while if she didn't take this opportunity. 'Wait a minute,' thought Kori, '_she_ was talking about _me_??' Kori looked back at Usagi, who was still bobbing her head around with her eyebrows raised, waiting for Kori's reply. "Yeah, I guess I could. See you then," she whispered quietly. Kori leaned back into her desk from the isle and continued her work. 

Usagi, on the other hand had wanted to keep talking and kept leaning into the isle. Eventually, she lost her balance and fell into the skinny isle with a loud thud. Everyone in the class turned to look at the twitching Usagi on the floor, even the boy Kori had met the day before, Luke. Kori's face turned red, and buried her face into her books. 

* * *

At lunch later on that day, Kori quietly sat with Usagi and her friends. She quietly munched away at her food not saying a word, remaining unnoticed by the group of people around her. By the time she had almost finished her lunch and was about to leave, someone finally said something concerning her, "So Usagi! When are you going to introduce us to your friend? She's been sitting here the whole time and she hasn't said a word!" It had been the tall, brown-haired girl that spoken. The one that she had seen yesterday looming over everyone else. 

"Oh!! Yeah! Of course," said Usagi dumbfounded. Her friends put their heads in her hands and sighed as Usagi yelled loudly. Loud enough for the whole courtyard to hear, of course. "Kori this is Makoto Kino, or Mako-chan for short," said Usagi, pointing to the brown-haired girl. Usagi continued, "And this is Ami Mizuno, the brains of the group." Usagi pointed to the shorter blue-haired girl and the girl replied by looking from her books with a smile. Usagi then pointed to the two boys situated between Makoto and Ami, "Those two there are Greg and Ken. There's also a few more others, but they attend different schools. Like Rei, Minako, Chibi-Usa, Chad, Antonio, and of course Mamoru." Usagi's eyes lit up with sparkles as she pronounced Mamoru's name, and she went off into her own little dimension to think about him.

"Hello everyone. Pleased to meet you all," replied Kori with a small wave. She nodded her head to each and every one of them, giving a small hello. 

"Aren't you going to tell us her name Usagi? We're not all psychic like Rei is!" said Ken jokingly, looking to Kori with a large grin. 

The group broke out into laughter, and Kori laughed along with them. It was the first time in a long while that she had laughed with friends like this. Friends.....Kori had friends now. No longer did she feel so alone. "My name's Kori," she said in between laughs. 

"Hi Kori!" chorused everyone around her. Kori gave a grin wide enough to fall off her face.

* * *

Kori packed up her things, stuffing all her schoolwork into her leather bag. She left the school promptly, and headed for the sidewalk that led to her home. She sighed. She didn't want to walk to her new house five blocks away. She didn't like it as much as her old one in California. It was much smaller. Everything here seemed more expensive and much smaller than things had been back at home. She never did quite understand.

As she was walking down the sidewalk, she heard a voice behind her, "Hey Kori, wait up!" Kori stopped to look behind her. 

"Hi Lucas!" she replied when he caught up to her. 

"Hey, mind if I walk home with you? I'm heading this way too," said Luke, somewhat out of breath from running to catch up with Kori. 

"You're more than welcome to," said Kori with a shy smile. She was overwhelmed when he smiled back. His smile was so broad and you could tell he meant it when he grinned. That grin made all her problems melt away. Not that she really had any, but she pretended she did just so she could see him smile again. 

The two were silent for a few moments as they walked down the sidewalk, cars whizzing by. Finally, Luke broke the silence, "Hey Kori, where did you live before you moved here? The teacher never asked you yesterday in class."

"Well, I was born in California in the United States, but my parents were married here in Japan. I'm not sure why they moved to the U.S. in the first place, but they ended up staying there and I was born. We moved back here though because my parents wanted to be back in their home country. I don't think they ever took into consideration that America was _my_ home country." Kori heard his mouth hit the concrete sidewalk. She laughed and said, "It's not that big of a deal you know..." She pushed his chin back where it belonged, and was surprised at how soft his skin was. She longed to touch it again, but didn't dare. 

Lucas laughed and shoved his hands into his pockets, "I've always wanted to go to California, or any other warm state on the coast. I wish I could learn how to surf." His eyes stared off into the distance as he thought of the beaches and coarse sand. He loved the beach. He envied Kori for once living there.

"Really? I'd lived there all my life until recently. I really wish I could go back, though. I miss my friends back at home." Kori's head hung low. She stared at her feet as she walked down the busy sidewalk. 

A few more moments of silence ensued. "So...uh, Kori," Luke stuttered. Ever since the first time he had caught her staring at him in class yesterday, he had wanted to ask her out on a date. She was so pretty and really nice too, and the way he felt around her...it was different. He had never felt like this around any other girls before. Then again, he had never had many serious relationships. Just lots of...._girls_. He glanced sidewardly at Kori. 

"Oh sorry, did you say something? I kinda lost my train of thought there for a 'sec." Kori looked over at a fidgety Luke and smiled. Luke stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and Kori stopped with him, staring into his cerulean blue eyes. 

"Uh...do you ever wanna....do something with me? On a date? Would you even considerate it? I mean, I know-" Luke was hushed by a slender finger over his lips.

"Of course I'd go out with you! Did yah think I'd say no or something?" Kori giggled and removed her finger from his lips, letting it hang back at it's side where it had originally been. 

"Heh heh, thanks Kori. I promise you I'll make it worth your while." Luke chuckled nervously. He flashed her that grin again, and Kori simply replied with a beaming smile. 

* * *

Usagi looked around at everyone sitting around the small table in Rei's temple. Rei and Mina-chan themselves were fussing over a Sailor-V comic book, and Ami (as usual) had her nose stuck in a book. Chibi-Usa stood with Luna-P by her side, trying to see over Rei's shoulder to nose into the comic. Mako had her elbows propped up on the table and was staring at Ken, and Greg was helping Ami study. Mamoru and Antonio were arguing over which was better - physics or girls. Chad was the only one not doing something. Rather, he was trying to figure out was going on in a mass of confusion. Luna and Artemis were yelling profusely at the others to try to get them to pay attention, but gave up after having no luck whatsoever. 

Usagi on the other hand..."HELLOOO!" Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at Usagi with surprise. Before she knew it though, everyone had gone back to what they were doing and had completely forgotten about Usa's outburst. Usagi sighed with aggravation, "So, what'd you guys think of Kori today?"

Mina, Chibi-Usa, Rei, Mamoru, Antonio, and Chad looked up with questioning faces. Chad flung his hands in the air and muttered to himself with utter confusion. 

"Who's Kori? A new friend of yours Usa?" asked Mina, tapping her finger on her chin as she spoke.

"Ohhh yeah! You six didn't get to meet her today did yah!" said Usagi cheerfully, pointing at Mamoru, Antonio, Rei, Chad, Chibi-Usa, and Mina. 

"Well Usagi if you **told** us, then **maybe** we'd know!" yelled Rei with aggravation. 

"Yeah Meatball head!" said Mamoru jokingly, reaching over to tickle his Usa. 

Usagi squealed and ran out of reach of Mamoru's wriggling fingers, meanwhile trying to relay the story of Kori to her friends. 

* * *

Varisite looked into his dark purple mass called a portal. The portal shifted and glistened in the dim light. The man needed a plan. A plan to gather enough energy for his attack on Crystal Tokyo, and a plan to collect the pure energy crystals from five lucky candidates. Lucky enough for him, he had a small pouch full of black crystalline powder. This powder was very powerful, it was not like your everyday average powder makeup. It could conjure the power to locate people, and it had the power to summon powerful magic. 

He took the small pouch from the inside pocket of his large trench coat. He took a small pinch of the black dust in his fingers, and tossed it in the portal's direction. "Show me the first victim holding a pure energy crystal!" he shouted. His voice echoed in the void surrounding him.

The purple smoke wavered and an image began to form in it's depths. Slowly, the image of a raven haired girl with platinum streaks appeared. 

"So...this is the first holder...How interesting. It'll be a pity to kill her. She's damn hot..." The man turned and disappeared into the darkness surrounding him, meanwhile letting out a hysterical laugh. 

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Chad, Greg, Ken, and Antonio are the sailor senshi's respective knights and boyfriends. Chad, Greg, and Ken all appear in the TV series, but don't play a big part. Greg is the guy that liked Ami, Ken is Mako's friend, and we all know who Chad is. ^.^ I decided to use their American names because their Japanese ones are kinda....wierd. ^.^' Anyhoo...

For better understanding of some of the upcoming chapters, I highly suggest reading Sailor Knights at www.sailorjupiter.com. It doesn't take too long to read, and it's pretty interesting. Anyways, please leave a review!


	3. Exposure

Author's Notes: Welcome back for round three! This chapter should be a little more exciting than the last ones, and a little more to the plot line is revealed. 

Disclaimer: *temporarily eats the Sailor Moon copyrights to regurgitate later*. I don't own any these characters, with the exception of the two leading characters. 

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**Episode 1: Just the Beginning**

**Chapter 3 - Exposure**

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Kori checked herself in the mirror one last time. Tonight was her first date with Luke. She was extremely nervous. What would she say? What would she do? Kori fumbled to pick up her brush and started to comb her smooth, silky hair. She laid the brush down and checked herself out. Just for the occasion she had thrown a pale blue, fuzzy turtle neck sweater. On her bottom half she wore a knee length black skirt that had a slit up the right side and a zipper on the left for decoration. Kori pulled herself from her view in the vanity mirror and grabbed her leather lace up boots. She pulled them on and stood up. Just as she did, she heard the doorbell ring. 

Kori started to fidget around in her room. She personally didn't think she was ready. Before she had much time to much else though, she heard her mother calling her from downstairs. Kori let out an excited sigh and left her room, heading for the stairs into the living room where Lucas was waiting. 

"Please, make yourself welcome. I'll go get Kori," Kori's mother told Luke. Kori's mother headed up the stairs and started to call out to her daughter. 

Luke simply nodded and sat down in the closest chair. Plastered all over their living room walls were pictures of Kori. Some were from when she was just a baby. She certainly was cute when she was small, always grinning happily. Amongst the baby pictures were many others of Kori at the age she was now. In most of them she was swearing short skirts or shorts, and sometimes she was wearing just her bikini. Luke grinned at the thought of Kori in a bikini. He stood up and went closer the pictures, eyeing them more carefully. There weren't many of her family, most of them were just Kori, her mother, and her friends. There was even a picture of Kori with her friends around a large machine, and Kori herself was covered in a white powder. Luke assumed they were trying to get a snow-making machine to work. As Luke realized what it was he laughed quietly to himself. He turned around to sit down, and stopped when he saw Kori standing in the doorway with her hands behind her back and a small smile on her face. 

Luke felt his mouth start to drop. In his eyes, she was absolutely breathtaking. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again when nothing came out. Her outfit was simple, but it framed her face and body wonderfully. He approached her slowly and grinned. "You ready to go?" he asked. 

"I'm not so sure. Just let me check if my body's still in one piece," replied Kori. She pat herself in several places to make her point. She continued with a smile, "Yeah, I'm ready now."

Luke chuckled at her reply. He turned to leave as Kori grabbed her denim jacket from a hook in the hallway and followed him out the door. "Italian okay with you?" he asked her.

"I'll eat just about anything you lay in front of me," laughed Kori.

* * *

When they arrived at the restaurant, they waited to be seated. When they got to their table, Luke had the courtesy to pull out Kori's chair for her when she sat down. Kori grinned shyly. He was quite a gentleman, even though you wouldn't think it. 

"So, what are you going to order?" she asked him questionably, "I think I'm going to get the Lasagne al Pesto."

Luke scratched his chin as he looked over the menu. He skimmed through the various dishes, and finally settled on one he liked. "I think I'm going to have the Agnolotti with Spiny Lobster and Shrimp."

"Mmm...sounds tasty!" replied Kori, licking her lips.

The two ordered their food when the waiter came to their table. After the waiter left, Kori didn't know what to talk about. From what she could tell, Luke didn't know what to talk about either. 

After a few moments, Luke held out his hand and smiled at Kori. "You want to see how bad of a dancer I am?" he said, inviting her to dance with him. 

Kori laughed, and placed her hand in his, letting him guide her onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arm around his neck, and held his hand with the other. The two waltzed around the dance floor, completely forgetting about everyone else. This seemed so familiar to Kori...but she couldn't figure out why. It was almost as if...they had done this before, even though she had just met Luke. 

Luke pulled Kori closer to him, with his hand around her waist. She was a very good dancer, he had to admit. He leaned down slightly and touched the side of his head to hers. He inhaled the scent of her hair, and the smell of Lilies filled his nostrils. The smell was intoxicating. 

* * *

Varisite looked into the swirling mass of purple, watching the two young teenagers waltz around the dance floor. His target was with someone, a young man with platinum hair. The face was familiar, but from where Varisite couldn't unravel. 

He grimaced and rested his head in his hand. It would be more difficult to capture her crystal when there were numerous others around her. He thought for a moment, pacing back and forth through the blackness as he did. He snapped his fingers, and turned towards the darkness around him. "Amida!" he summoned.

The demon appeared out of the darkness. "You called for me, Master?" it asked in a husky voice.

Varisite looked the demon up and down. It was huge, standing at about 7ft. It's body was covered in scaly purple and blue skin, and four large arms protruded from it's sides. Varisite grinned evilly and turned to the portal, which still reflected the image of Kori dancing in the restaurant. "See that girl?" he pointed in Kori's direction, "Get her Pure Energy Crystal and bring it back to me. When you're finished dispose of her. I don't care how, just make sure no one finds out." 

The creature nodded in response and prepared to leave.

"Wait just a moment. If anyone gets in your way, drain their energy," added Varisite with a menacing grin. 

The creature nodded and backed into the darkness of the void, disappearing completely. 

* * *

"You're not a bad dancer at all!" commented Kori to Luke, who was nervously trying to keep up with the black haired beauty in his arms. 

"I know, I was just joking when I said that," he replied with a shy grin. The two laughed quietly in unison. 

They took a step backwards, and bumped into a couple behind them. Luke turned to apologize but was stopped by a senseless teasing. 

"Now look what you did Meatball Head! First my feet, now someone else's!" 

Kori stepped by Luke and grinned at the fussing couple they had bumped into. 

"Kori!!" yelled Usagi excitedly when she saw her new friend. Everyone within five feet of the two couples looked at them strangely. 

Kori looked back at Lucas with a red face. "Uh, hi Usa. I didn't know you were going to be here. Who's your friend?" said Kori, pointing in Mamoru's direction with a slight smile on her face. 

"Oh! This is Mamoru! I think I told you about him, remember?" explained Usagi. 

The memories of Usagi explaining him to her the day before came rushing to her head. "Hi Mamoru. It's nice to meet you. Usagi never stops talking about you," laughed Kori with a shrug. She turned to Usagi, " Do you know Luke? He's in our homeroom class."

Usagi looked to Luke with a questioning face, "Yeah I think I recognize you. In case you didn't know, my name's Usa." 

Luke nodded and replied with a small hello to Kori's friend. 

"So wh-" Usagi started to say before she was cut off by a deafening scream.

"Huh?!" everyone said all at once. They turned and rushed to where they heard the scream. There, standing in front of them was a large demon standing in the entrance of the restaurant with a limp girl in it's multiple arms. 

Kori clamped her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. She started to back away, and pulled Luke with her when she noticed he was standing there, petrified. Kori had never seen anything like this before. It hovered over everyone in the restaurant. She guessed it was well around 7 feet tall. She felt like vomiting when she saw slime oozing off it's large scales and out of its mouth. Kori had been so occupied with dragging back Luke and observing the monster that she had failed to notice Usagi and Mamoru disappear. 

The monster dropped the limp body and scanned the crowd, obviously searching for something, or _someone_. It's yellow eyes landed on Kori, and she yelped when she realized she was the one it was looking for. She scrambled back in fright, tripping on her own feet and falling back.

Luke didn't know what to do. He couldn't fight a thing that big! He had good self defence, but not against something like _this_. The demon was far bigger than he was. However, he charged it none-the-less. He would not let it come close to or harm Kori. 

The demon turned and grabbed Luke by the neck, draining his energy and tossing him across the room. He hit the floor, unconscious.

"LUKE!" screamed Kori. The monster turned for her. 

Away from the commotion, Usagi pressed the blue, green, yellow, and red buttons on her communicator. Fortunately, the faces of all the scouts and their respective knights popped up on the screen. 

"Yeah?" they all said at once.

"Guys, there's a _big_ Negacreep at the Italian restaurant! We need your help!" cried Usagi frantically. 

The faces on her communicator screen all nodded and disappeared. 

"We better transform!" said Usagi. Mamoru nodded, agreeing with her decision. 

_"Moon Cosmic Power, Make-Up!"_ yelled Usagi, as she was enveloped in a white light. When the light faded, she was left in her sailor fuku and her hands up in the air. She looked to Mamoru.

Mamoru nodded and muttered a few words to himself, and also was enveloped in a white light. When the light faded he was left in his suit as well. "Come on Sailor Moon!" he commented.

The monster loomed over Kori and lifted her up in it's two bottom arms. Kori shook with fright and screamed as it held one of it's free hands up to her chest. Kori closed her eyes tight and prayed for it to be over. What did this thing want with her? She had nothing! 

"Hey you! I'm Sailor Moon!" yelled a voice from the back of the room. Kori opened her eyes and attempted to look in the voices direction. 'Sailor Moon? That sounds so familiar...' She racked her brain for the name, but came up with no answers. 

"I right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you!" yelled Sailor Moon bravely. 

The monster turned from Kori and loosened it's grip. She wriggled out of it's arms and bolted as far away from it as she could. From where she now hid behind an overturned table, she studied the two figures the demon was headed for. One had long blonde hair done up in a familiar fashion, and the other wore a mask and tuxedo, finished off with a cape. 

"Hey! Why are you harming an innocent person? Heeey! I'm talking to you!" yelled Sailor Moon. The monster looked at her and would've raised an eyebrow if it had one. It looked at Sailor Moon one last time and emitted out a huge blast of black energy in the heroine's direction. Tuxedo Kamen covered his love with his cape to block the huge blast. 

The blast hit everyone watching still in the restaurant and they all fell unconscious, drained of their energy. The only people the blast didn't hit were Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, and surprisingly Kori. Kori was someone untouched. Kori looked down at her hands in wonder. 

"What the...?" wondered Tuxedo Kamen out loud. Sailor Moon was stunned, and was staring at Kori with wonder. 

The monster looked at them greedily and took it as an advantage to attack them. Just as it's muscular arms swung up in the air...

_"Burning Mandala!"_ yelled Sailor Mars, aiming her attack at the monster that had it's backed turned to her. 

The monster fell to the ground with a growl, rubbing it's back where it had been burnt. 

Kori stood up slowly and headed over to Luke. Before she could do much, a large blast of the dark energy hurtled in her own direction and she jumped back, hiding again behind the table. The Sailor Senshi that had arrived on the other hand were not so fast and collapsed, weakened as the blast hit them. 

The monster turned to Kori's frightened eyes that were peering from around the edge of the table. It ran to her and picked her up by it's arms again, and Kori screamed. It tossed her easily across the room, and she hit a table, overturning it. She groaned in pain as she tried to stand. The demon tossed aside the table and reached out for her.

By this time, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Moon, and Jupiter Knight had recovered some. However, they were still too weak and could barely stand up. 

The monster simply ignored them. It picked up Kori and thrust its scaly hand at her chest. A bright light shot out at the monster as Kori screamed with terror, and it fell back, shielding its eyes. The light seemed to be hurting it. Kori had no idea what was going on, and screamed for a few seconds later. 

The recovering senshi looked at the light, following it to its base - Kori's forehead. She seemed to have a crest emanating from her forehead, and the light was keeping the demon back. 

"Is Kori a Sailor Senshi like us...?" muttered Sailor Moon to herself. 

Luna approached Kori from behind the overturned table Kori had backed against. Luna jumped into the air, did a twist, and a grey and pale blue henshin stick with a star imbedded on the top appeared, falling to the floor.

"I believe this belongs to you my dear," said Luna, tossing the henshin stick into Kori's hands. 

Kori's mouth dropped with awe. "That cat just talked! What the fuck is going on?!" she yelled in disbelief.

"No time to explain now. Just hold up your henshin stick and say 'Krypton Star Power'. The other senshi won't be able to hold it off for long," replied Luna hopefully. She really hoped that Kori would accept the henshin stick and would help them out. There was no turning back once you had used it, though. 

Kori turned to see the recovered senshi fighting the monster. They were holding on by a thread. They obviously weren't expecting an enemy.

Kori looked down at the henshin stick and sighed. She might as well...

_"Krypton Star Power!"_ she yelled. She was enveloped by a bright grey light. 

She thrust her henshin stick up in the air, and large rocks were hurtled towards her glowing body. Before the rocks reached her body, they disintegrated and stuck onto her body, turning her to stone. The rock powder dissolved from her body, revealing her in her sailor fuku. She turned in a few circles and posed, holding her left arm straight back behind her, and her right one crossed over her body in a V shape. She was standing with her feet positioned vertically, and her head turned slightly to the right. 

Kori looked down at herself in disbelief. She was left standing in a feminine sailor uniform. It was the same as all the other scouts, with a few differences. The bows were a pale blue colour, and the skirt was a grey-silver. The skirt itself seemed to glimmer in the light. Her gloves were also the same glittery grey colour. On her feet were the same boots she had been wearing on her date. She felt her forehead. She was wearing a silver tiara, with a blue inset jewel the same colour as the bows. 

She looked at Luna and knew what she had to do. She ran closer to her enemy, and it didn't see her so she took it to her advantage. 

_"Bombshell Blaster!" _she yelled out menacingly. 

A giant stalactite shot out from the ground in front of Sailor Krypton. She punched it with both fists and it broke into hundreds of pieces. She spun around and the shards of rock shot for the demon. They stuck into him, cutting deep wounds, temporarily stunning it. 

"Sailor Moon, finish it off!" she shouted. 

Sailor Moon nodded in response and pulled out her Cutie Moon Rod. The other senshi simply stared at Sailor Krypton in amazement.

_"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"_

The demon screamed and disintegrated as Sailor Moon's attack hit it. 

Everyone rushed over to Sailor Krypton and demorphed. "Wow Kori! You're a Sailor Senshi like us!" screeched Usagi cheerfully. 

Kori scratched her head, "Yeah, I guess I am, huh." This certainly was a surprise. It'd explain why she thought Usagi as familiar, that's for sure. Maybe there was more to herself than she thought. She looked down at her hands and sighed. 

She looked around herself. The innocent people in the restaurant were starting to wake up. Kori's eyes opened wide and she rushed over to Luke. "Luke! Are you okay?" she asked him with concern in her eyes.

Luke rubbed his head and looked up at Kori. "What....What happened? I don't remember what happened..." 

Kori stared into his blue eyes. She wanted to tell him what had happened so bad, but she decided against it. This is something that only she should know. However, it was going to make her relationship with Luke a little more hard to maintain. Kori smiled weakly at Luke as they stared at each other. "A terrorist attacked the restaurant. Will you be alright, though?" she replied to his question.

"Yeah I'll be fine," he said standing up, "Let's get out of here."

Kori nodded and slung her shoulder around him, helping him walk out of the restaurant.

* * * 

"Damnit! I failed! This will not happen again, I swear it. I'll throw everything at that girl if I have to," fumed Varisite. "What's even worse is that she's a Sailor Senshi. Why'd those brats have to show up and ruin everything?!" Varisite threw his hands up in the air and took a seat in a large cushioned chair next to his portal. Varisite hucked a golden cup into the void, not even hearing it clatter. "I'll get you next time! This is Just the beginning!!"

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Well, now that that's done! This chapter was much longer and more eventful than the last two, ne? Expect more like these in the future! Please leave a review...^.^


	4. Tears and Kisses

Author's Notes: Awh, you're actually coming back to read more? How sweet ^.^ More about Kori's past with the Moon Kingdom is revealed in the upcoming chapters. Anything in italics is a flashback. Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I didn't steal the Sailor Moon copyrights.....*runs away screaming like a mad man* 

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**Episode 2: Recollections**

**Chapter 4 - Tears and Kisses **

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A few days later...

Kori sat on a cliff outside of Tokyo by herself. The view from there was gorgeous. You could see everything around you, especially the night lights of the city. They twinkled just like the stars above her, only in more hues of red, green, and yellow. Kori loved looking at the stars. If there weren't so many, she'd count them one by one. She decided against it though, it would take too long and she figured she'd lose count. She just enjoyed looking at them. 

She brushed at the dirt at the ground. The cliff she sat on was just off a biker's trail. She had discovered the path while cycling the past day. Noticing the city lights from her left, she had veered off the path and found the cliff, alone and solitary. She made a mental note to come back later, and here she was, overlooking the city lights. 

Although the view of the bustling city soothed her, she thoughts were troubled. Her mind kept wandering to the attack a few days prior. She couldn't figure out why someone wanted to hurt her, much less for what. There had to be something...but Kori couldn't figure it out herself. She'd have to watch her back from now on, just in case she was attacked again. She had also been very surprised to find out she was a Sailor Senshi. She had never personally met or seen them before moving to Japan, but had read about them in the news back in California. Back then she had thought they were just some big bluff. How wrong she was. She was to attend a "scout" meeting tomorrow, as Usagi liked to call it. What had she gotten herself into? 

Kori dangled her feet over the cliff and propped her elbows up on her knees. She rested her head in her hands and sighed. Then there was the matter of Luke. She was beginning to really like him, and she didn't know what to do about it. Sure, she had boyfriends in the past, but she had never had feelings like this for any of them. Luke seemed different. There was something about him...something she couldn't put her finger on. Anyhow, she couldn't' stop thinking about him and it was driving her up the wall. Kori prayed that he felt the same for her. 

Kori jumped when she heard a voice behind her, "You know, you really shouldn't think too much. You might make your brain swell or something."

Kori turned to see who her visitor was, and was relieved to find it was only Luke. She smiled and pat the ground beside her, inviting him to sit down. 

Luke sat down generously. He looked over the sparkling city lights and turned to Kori, only to find her doing the same thing. He turned back to the city and started to speak softly, "It's beautiful ain't it? The lights, I mean."

Kori nodded her head in reply with a small smile. She turned to Luke, eyebrows furrowed with question, "How'd you know I was up here?"

Luke grinned at her question. "I kinda followed you up here. I hope you don't mind or anything. I just wanted to spend some time with you alone," he said with a small scratch to the back of his head.

Kori smiled and shook her head gently, trying to shake off the blush that had enveloped her face, "I don't care at all. In fact, I'm kinda glad you did you follow me. I needed someone to talk to."

A few moments ensued as the new couple looked over the city. Luke looked at Kori and watched her as she looked over the city. The soft moonlight reflected off her face, making it seem as though her whole face was glowing. Her eyes were half shut, as if she were thinking of something, her dark long eyelashes fluttering as she blinked. The light wind tossed up her hair, blowing it slightly across his face. It was incredibly soft, and still smelt of lilies. It must have been the scent of her shampoo. 

Kori noticed Luke staring at her, and looked to him slightly, a sly smile playing on her lips. 

Luke took a deep breath and looked at her fully, "Kori can I ask you something?" he asked. 

Kori nodded in reply, "Of course!"

"Why haven't I met your Dad yet? Is he away on vacation or something?" Luke regretted the words as soon as they came from his mouth. Kori's face had filled with pain, and he didn't want it to ruin her pretty features. Besides, seeing Kori hurt, hurt him as well.

Kori sighed. She suppose she shouldn't have lied to him in the first place. Well she didn't exactly _lie_, she had just avoided the topic altogether. She figured she might as well tell him though, he had the right to know. Kori let out a small groan and turned to face him, crossing her legs so she'd be more comfortable. "Uh...my Dad, huh. He isn't exactly on vacation Luke. He's dead."

Luke put his head in his hands, feeling like a fool. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," he said tenderly.

"No, it's okay. He died a few years ago...Do you want to hear more about it?" she asked with understanding. 

"If you don't mind..."

"No I don't mind," Kori took a deep breath and looked to the stars above her, "My family was at the beach and I was with a couple friends. My dad's friend had rented a boat and a bunch of water skis, tubes and such. It was my Dad's first time out on the water skiing, me and my mom were watching from the shore to cheer him on." Kori looked down at her hands and bit her lip to keep the tears back, "Not too long after he got up, he went down in the waves....He.....he never came back up."

Luke took her hands in his own. His were much larger than hers were, and they enveloped them completely. He enjoyed the warmth of her hands nonetheless. He looked at her face closely to noticed a solitary tear rolling down her cheek. He wiped it away calmly and tilted her chin up so he could see her face better. 

Kori forced herself to smile. It was a weak smile, but it seemed to make Luke a little happier. 

"It's okay you know...You could've just told me before," whispered Luke, "but I understand. You can tell me anything, and I'd give you all the gratification I can..." Luke lowered his face down to Kori's. His face was so close now he could feel her warm breath on his face. 

Kori looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. All the gratification he could possibly give...? Kori smiled slightly as their lips brushed, meeting in a tender kiss. His lips caressed her own, and Kori felt as if she was going to melt away. She felt as if that 'magic' you felt when you loved someone had been laid upon her. Kori's mind was going haywire as they kissed, she felt as if her brain was short-circuiting. Her heart leapt out of her chest as he caressed her bottom lip with his tongue, and she opened her mouth slightly, giving him the invitation to let himself in.

Luke was breathless. He dug deeper into her, caressing her tongue with his own. He noticed she had wrapped her arms around his neck and Luke pulled her closer to him. The heat emanating from her body made Luke tingle inside. 

Breathless and in need of air, Kori pulled back reluctantly. A grin was plastered all over Luke's face and she grinned. It was her first kiss with him, and it had been like fireworks. She thought to herself that she would never forget those few moments. 

Luke sat there and stared into her grey eyes for what seemed like forever. Her eyes were locked onto his, and if he let his gaze drift away he felt as if he would miss something important. 

"I should get going now...unfortunately," moaned Kori with modesty.

"Yeah me too. I'll walk you home," he said as he started to pick himself up off the ground. He looked down at the ground beneath him, and as Kori started to walk away, picked up a glittering stone on the ground. He took a quick glance at it and shoved it in his pocket, following Kori. 

Kori entwined her hand with his and the two walked down the path into the city with ease. 

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Whee! Their first kiss! =:D Keep reading for more eh, eh? *nudge nudge wink wink*


	5. Unwanted Visitor

Author's Notes: I never noted this before, but thanks to Nukumi for the review! Another thing, paragraphs in italics is a flashback...I think I noted that in the last chapter, meh. 

Disclaimer: *feeds the Sailor Moon copyrights to the dog* ......you didn't see that! 

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**Episode 2: Recollections**

**Chapter 5 - Unwanted Visitor **

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Usagi led Kori to Rei's temple, where Kori would attend her first 'scout' meeting. She was rather nervous, although she already knew half the people there. She wondered what this meeting would concern. Probably her arrival as a new senshi and the team's new enemy, whoever it was. 

Kori looked to Usagi nervously, "Are we almost there yet?"

Usa nodded vigorously, "Of course! Everyone is excited to meet you, you know. They all want to meet this new senshi."

Usa led Kori up the massive flight of steps up to the temple and pulled back the screen door, letting Kori go in first. The two made themselves comfortable around the small table centered in the room. All the others were situated around it also, all except Minako and Artemis. 

Rei looked around restlessly, "Where the hell is Minako and that damn cat?"

Mamoru looked at her and shrugged helplessly. He knew as much as everyone else, which was pretty much none.

Rei crossed her arms and looked fed up, "We can't start the meeting without her, you know!"

"We know Rei, just calm down she should be here soon," replied Greg softly. 

Kori looked to her left but to find Chad looking at her suspiciously. He had been absent during the restaurant incident, and was wondering who she was and what she was doing there. He looked at Luna questionably and pointed his thumb in Kori's direction. "Who's she?" he simply stated. 

Kori looked at him rudely. He could have just asked her...

Luna looked to Kori recklessly and then to Chad. "We'll explain it to you when Mina and Artemis get here Chad, don't worry. Whenever that is..." Luna sighed. She was getting impatient and wanted to start the meeting. As she waited she continued to groom herself, licking the filth away. 

A few moments later Mina burst through the door with Artemis in her arms. "Sorry I'm late!" she expressed, taking breaths between words, "I was busy in some photo shoots and - "

"Mina-chan just cut to the chase and sit down already!" shouted Rei impatiently.

Mina sat down hastily beside Antonio as Artemis preceded to take his spot next to Luna. Minako looked to Antonio with a stunning grin, and he draped his arm around her shoulders, bending his head down slightly so she could whisper in his ear. Mina giggled to whatever his inaudible words had been.

Kori rolled her eyes and looked to Usagi, who was also busy with Mamoru to notice anything else. She sighed recklessly and looked to Luna. "Can we start now?" she asked. 

Luna nodded and looked to Usagi, scratching her knee to get her attention. 

Usagi looked up with alert, scratching her knee and complaining with contempt. Luna motioned to Kori, who sat there silently, waiting to be introduced. Usagi's face lit up. "Oh yeah! Sorry Kori. Alright, let's get started now that Minako's here." Usa stood up quickly, letting all the blood go to her head. She stood there dazed for a moment and continued with her speech, "Guys, for those of you who don't know this is Kori, otherwise known as Sailor Krypton. Apparently there was another senshi out there, and she was it!" Usa motioned to Kori as she spoke. 

The other senshi and knights cheered for her, and she felt her face fill with red. "You guys can just call me Kori, alright?" she said nervously. 

* * *

"I must send someone out after that damn girl again....but who? I need someone who will actually be able to get the job done this time..." thought a dark haired man out loud. Varisite scratched his chin. The demons he had available were okay, but with all those senshi around he couldn't be too sure. He could always send more than one. He was about to call his slaves, but stopped at the sound of footprints echoing behind him.

"I'll do it for you Varisite..." said the seductive voice. 

"Good evening, Citrine," said Varisite to the woman without turning his head to even look at her. "How are you on this dismal day? Why would you of all people want to help me?" he asked, choosing his words carefully.

Citrine crossed her long arms in front of her, insulted that he had to ask her such a question. "What's wrong with helping someone?" she replied, walking closer to his turned back. "I could help those stupid Sailor Brats if I wished, but for both our sakes I won't," she whispered in his ear. 

Varisite turned slowly to look at the tall orange-haired woman in front of him. She stood even taller than he did. He smoothly watched her play with her short-cut hair, and stared into her red eyes. "Fine...if you think you can handle it, get rid of those senshi and get that girls Pure Energy Crystal," he said, pointing into his pool of darkness, watching the image of the raven and platinum haired girl appear with a wisp of smoke. 

Citrine nodded her slim face and faded into the darkness.

* * *

"So, who do you think it was that attacked the restaurant a few nights ago?" Ken asked the group around him. 

Rei looked at him stupidly. "The Negaverse you flat face! Who else would it be? Duh!" came the enthusiasm from Rei's mouth. 

Ken looked at the table, "Oh yeah, that..." He still wasn't used to this whole 'Evil Negaverse' ordeal. He was still new to this himself. He turned to Makoto and she smiled broadly, which relaxed him for the current moment.

"Uh...what's the Negaverse?" asked Kori nervously. She didn't want Rei to yell at her, too. After all, she really didn't know. Everyone looked at her dully, and she shrunk down in her spot under their gaze. Luna turned to her and explained. She explained Beryl and the Moon Kingdom and everything they had encountered up to the past couple days. Kori nodded finally in understanding. Now at least she knew what she was fighting to a certain degree. 

Kori looked to Rei with a strange look on her face. She felt something...as if something was coming. She didn't recognize the feeling very well. The only other time she had felt it was at the restaurant. She scrunched up her nose. Rei looked to her as well. She obviously felt it as well. "Uh...Rei? What is that?" she asked.

"It's the Negaverse Kori. You're lucky to be able to feel it. We better get outside and find out what's going on," explained Rei carefully. 

Kori nodded her in understanding. She knew now. 

The group ran outside the temple. It had suddenly gotten very dark, and large rain clouds covered the once-blue sky. It gave off a very ominous feeling...

"Give me your Energy Crystal and I will save your life. Your friends unfortunately, are going to have to die," came a shrill voice from the darkness. The senshi spun around, trying to locate the location of the speaker. However, none of them could pinpoint her. 

Kori's eyes scanned the darkness. A flash of orange caught her eye and she ducked as a huge ball of energy hurtled in their direction. "Heads up!" she yelled, spinning to her left and ducking to avoid the dark matter sweeping over her head. Fortunately everyone caught her exclamation in time and ducked, avoiding it altogether. 

* * *

Luke reached into his pocket but to remember he had the stone from the night before. He took it out and examined it. Oddly, it was glowing a bright grey colour and glittering madly. He held it in his palm with awe. It was perfectly oval in shape. Luke reached his finger out to touch it, and it started to rattle vigorously. Before he knew what had happened, the stone had started to levitate and it shot out of his hand and flew in the direction of the temple downtown. Luke stood there, shocked. His feet started to lift, and he ran after it as his instincts told him to. 

* * *

Kori's eyes had now adjusted to the dark. She saw a woman floating, yes, as in levitating above ground. Kori's mouth dropped. The woman had short cut hair and was very tall. Her eyes was what caught her attention. They were bright red and seemed to glow in the darkness surrounding her. The woman looked truly evil. Kori's finger lifted to point at her. "Look," she muttered. The group of soldiers turned to where was she pointing and saw the woman. 

Usagi took out her brooch. "I think it's time that we prepare for a battle..." She lifted the brooch in the air, and the senshi behind her proceeded by raising up their henshin sticks. The group of teenagers were engulfed in reds, blues, and other various colours of light as they transformed. The light was so bright Citrine had to shield her eyes. When the light died away, the soldiers were left standing in their uniforms, prepared and charged for battle. 

Citrine took a step back, realizing she was outnumbered. Varisite had known this would happen! He had to have known! And yet he sent her out here anyhow. 'That inconsiderate bastard,' she thought, 'I'll show you.' Citrine scowled and prepared to charge up for an attack.

Sailor Krypton stepped forward. "Who are you and what do you want with me?!" she cried. 

"Oh me? My dear, I am Citrine. I'm here for that Pure Energy Crystal that belongs to me," replied the orange-haired woman with a shrill laugh. 

Sailor Krypton clenched up her fists. She was pissed. "Was it you who attacked me then? Was it you that hurt my friends and tried to hurt me as well?!" she yelled angrily. 

Citrine motioned her hand in front of her with an abrupt laugh, "Oh that wasn't me. That was all Varisite's doing. He was the one who sent that demon after you." Citrine crossed her arms in front of her. 

Ami tapped her finger to her chin. Pure Energy Crystals, Varisite, and Citrine? This woman was obviously stupid enough to reveal this information to them. 

"Then why are you after me?" questioned Sailor Krypton. 

"Uh...I'm also here for the crystal. Just call it a favour for Varisite" said Citrine mockingly. 

"So in other words, you're doing his dirty work for him," retorted Tuxedo Kamen with a chuckle. This woman was a joke. 

Citrine's face grew red, matching her hair and eyes. She was thankful no one could notice due to the darkness around her. The fact that they were insulting her however, made her very angry. Her temper matched the colour of her eyes. A ball of dark energy formed in her hand, and she tossed is furiously at Tuxedo Kamen. He saw it coming from the nick of his eye, and covered himself with his cape. 

_"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"_

The disk of compressed electricity flew toward the dark energy and collided with it, making it dissolve into thin air. Tuxedo Kamen let out a sigh of relief and Sailor Moon ran to him to see if he was okay. That thing had been big enough to even kill him. He nodded to Sailor Jupiter with thanks and she simply saluted him with ease. 

* * *

Luke ran down the street after the stone. Out of nowhere, it stopped abruptly and Luke almost ran into it. He stopped also and held the stone in his hand. It turned to his left slowly, pointing to something in the dark. His eyes focused slowly as he strained to see. He saw twelve people and two cats standing in the courtyard of the temple. 

Suddenly a huge disk of dark energy hurtled in his direction. Before it reached him however, another disk of bright light was tossed in it's direction and both disappeared into the darkness. The light emanating from the disk had given off enough light for him to temporarily see. The people were wearing strange sailor uniforms. He watched as a blonde-haired girl ran towards a man on his knees and he nodded to her, signalling he was alright. What was going on? This all seemed so familiar to him. He felt as if he should have been with them, his instincts told him to. But for now, he ignored his instincts and hid in the bushes.

He looked down at the stone in his hand. It was giving off even more light than it had been before.

* * *

"Time to get down to business!" shouted Sailor Mars excitedly. 

_"Jupiter Lightning Sword!"_ yelled Jupiter Knight. He ran towards her, stopping right before her and slashing his sword. Lightning bolts shot from the sword and hurtled towards Citrine. 

Citrine waved off the attack and watched evilly as it swung back at Jupiter Knight. 

His jaw dropped as he saw his own attack coming his way and dodged out of the way, just barely missed getting hit. He gapped, "How on Earth did she do that?" 

Citrine let out a mad, shrill laugh. Sailor Mars cracked her fingers and took it as an advantage. _"Fire Soul Bird!" _

Citrine quit her laughing when she noticed the large wave of fire resembling a bird flying her way. However, it was too late for her to dodge it. She took a direct hit to her left arm. She screamed in pain. "You _burnt_ me!!" she howled. She held out her hands in front of her. She concentrated and a large purple bubble formed between her hands. She looked up with a maniacal gleam in her eyes and threw it at Sailor Mars. 

Sailor Mars shielded herself with her arms but was suprised when she felt no pain. When she opened her eyes she was in a large dome. She pounded on the walls, but to no avail. 

Before they knew it, Sailor Jupiter and Jupiter Knight went flying into the dome as well. They were trapped. Sailor Jupiter rubbed her eyes and looked at Sailor Mars. She was starting to feel very tired. She started to slump on the ground along with the others contained within the dome. 

"No...can't, fall...asleep..." said Jupiter Knight as he struggled to keep awake. 

Sailor Moon panicked and put her fingers to her tiara, ready to send it out at any minute. Sailor Mercury held her hands out in front of her friend. "She'll just dome you like the others."

Sailor Moon lowered her hand and nodded. 

Luna paced back and forth while the others fought. Suddenly she thought of something. She pranced over to Sailor Venus and motioned for her to bend down. 

Sailor Venus bent down as Luna whispered something into her ear. "You think it'll work..?" asked Sailor Venus quietly. Luna nodded, and Sailor Venus nodded in return. 

"Hey you! Slimehead!" shouted Sailor Venus as she ran out in front of Citrine to the side, "Want a piece of me?! Come and get it!" Sailor Venus stuck out her tongue and ran off, Citrine following her. 

Citrine glared at her menacingly. She powered up to attack the blonde-haired beauty. 

_"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"_

_"Bombshell Blaster!"_

Citrine spun around quickly to see the combined attack coming and blocked it. Even though she had tried to block it, it was too powerful and it knocked her to the ground. She spat out blood. She scowled and got back on her feet slowly. The Sailor Soldier's mouths dropped in awe. 

"Incredible..." muttered Sailor Mercury. 

Tuxedo Kamen was brace and tossed a rose at her. 

Citrine screamed as it scratched her burn, as it slowly turned into a crazy laugh. "That all you fucking got!?" she shouted, "That was pathetic!"

Tuxedo Kamen looked at the ground with embarrassment. 

"But you...you are going to pay for what you did!" yelled Citrine, pointing at Sailor Moon and Sailor Krypton. Citrine held her hands out to her sides as her eyes started to glow and her hair levitate. Everything within a meter of her began to fly into the air. 

Various rocks flew in their direction. Sailor Krypton dodged to the side but Sailor Moon was hit repeatedly with objects. She yelped in pain. "Owie..." she moaned as Tuxedo Kamen helped her up.

Citrine looked at Sailor Krypton with a sly smile. She thrust her hands out at everyone she could see angrily, sending them flying backwards into the dome behind them. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Krypton were the only ones able to evade the attack. 

"Now what do we do?" cried Sailor Krypton helplessly. She tossed her hands up in the air to prove her point. 

Sailor Mercury shrugged, "I don't know, but we'll just have to hold on until we can figure out what to do to get the others out." She looked over the the dome. All their friends had passed out. She looked to Citrine, she was starting to stalk towards them. 

"Shabon Spray!" yelled Sailor Mercury, filling the air with mist. Sailor Mercury grabbed Sailor Krypton's wrist and pulled her behind the temple walls, out of sight. She took out her mini computer and tugged on her ear ring, which activated her visor. She entered information into the mini computer as Sailor Krypton kept an eye out for Citrine. 

Eventually, the computer beeped. "According to this, anyone can kill her. Obviously, she can use attacks to capture her enemies or reflect their attacks. She's also telekinetic, but only when she gets really pissed."

Sailor Krypton nodded, they already knew all of that. Was there any way of defeating her, though?

* * *

Luke sat still, watching the battle from the bushes by the entrance of the temple. Now there was only two of the soldiers left, and they had disappeared into a thick fog along with the orange-haired woman. He was starting to worry for them. What would happen if that woman won? Undoubtedly, she would kill them all. She had powers like he had never seen before. Then again, so did the other people. Hers however, were far beyond theirs. She was even telekinetic!

Luke looked down at the stone in his palm. It was glowing very bright now. When he mentally told it to stop it glowed brighter, which was very strange. It was almost as if it could hear his thoughts...

* * *

Sailor Krypton peered around the corner of the building again, noticing that the fog had cleared. Citrine was whirling around in fury.

"Where did you go!? I know you're out there! It's useless to hide from me because I _will_ find you!" she yelled.

Sailor Krypton sighed and looked to the entrance of the temple. From the shadows within the bushes there was a glowing, bright light. She fell back, going unconscious. 

_She looked up at the great stone palace. The beautiful marble walls were being blown to rubble. She looked away painfully. She could not stand to watch her home be blown to dust. She looked on towards the battlefield. Her people were trying their hardest to defend their land, but it was no use. They were losing miserably. The Negaverse was just too powerful. It's soldiers were too mutated. They attacked as if Krypton had no defences whatsoever. _

_A tear rolled down her cheek and her lip wavered. She bit it to prevent herself from breaking down completely. It was a habit she had when she was upset. Biting her lip seemed to calm her down somewhat. Her mother had always told her she would destroy her beautiful lips, but she never listened. Another tear rolled down her cheek as she remembered her family. They were all gone now, slaughtered by Queen Beryl herself. Princess Kori was the only one to escape and survive. It was all thanks to her guardian...her knight in shining armour. _

_A hand grabbed her arm from behind which pulled her to it's owner. She turned around slowly. _

_"Princess, we must leave for the Moon Kingdom at once. If we remain here, we will only die. If you die...there will be no one to fill the whole in my heart, or anyone to rule our kingdom once we have won the war."_

_She looked up to the man holding her. "Do you seriously think we are going to win the war...? How foolish you are," she said softly. _

_The man looked to his feet. "I am sorry your Highness, I only wish for your safety."_

_The Princess nodded. She looked to her guardian lovingly. Like all of the other Knights, he wore the Knight uniform and cape. His uniform was silver with black trimmings. The inside of his cape was black. At his hips hung a great sword. The sword itself seemed to glitter in the light, and although it was made from ancient stones and marbles, it was as sharp as a guillotine and as strong as an ox. His hand rested on the beautifully crafted silver hilt. _

_"Just...just let me do one more thing to help my people," she pleaded. She stared up into his cerulean blue eyes, which were filled with exhaustion and sadness. The Knight nodded in reply. _

_She unfolded her right hand to reveal the Krypton Crystal._

_"But Princess-" the Knight protested._

_The Princess held up her hand to silence him by placing it slenderly over his lips._

_The Knight understood and bowed his head. _

_The Princess held the crystal above her head, and it started to float above her. She muttered words only audible to herself, and a bright light shot from the crystal. The Knight covered his eyes with his hand. The light was bright enough to blind somebody. When the light faded, a beautiful maiden was left standing in the Princess' place. Of course it was the princess, just in the form of a powerful warrior. Her eyes had glazed over to a white, and she prepared for her attack._

_The Knight stood behind her silently. He knew perfectly well what would happen to her if her plan didn't work. He sighed sadly. _

_The Maiden raised her staff above her, and yelled in a language only known to herself. A bright light rushed over the battlefield around her, and more than half of her enemies fell dead. She lowered her staff and turned to her guardian. her strength gave out and with a flash of light, was back in the form of her normal self. The Knight helped her to her feet, and they rushed away quickly, not looking back._

* * *

Luke opened his eyes slowly. Was that...a dream? He wasn't too sure. But he knew one thing for sure, he had to do something to help Sailor Krypton. He stood up slowly and stepped out of the bushes with the shining stone in his hand.

* * *

"Kori! Kori!! KORI!? Can you hear me?" said Sailor Mercury desperately. 

Sailor Krypton snapped back into reality. Sailor Mercury had resorted to using her actual name she had been so out of it. That dream...it had seemed like she was actually there. But she remembered now...what she had to do. She looked to Sailor Mercury with a firm expression. "Mercury, I know what I have to do," she said. Sailor mercury simply replied with an uneasy nod.

They both stood up. Sailor Krypton strode out into the courtyard calmly. 

Sailor Mercury followed, unsure if what they were doing was a good idea. "Uh...are you sure this is a good idea?" she whispered to Krypton. Sailor Krypton nodded. 

"Ha! So you decided to come back out and play, eh?" laughed Citrine. 

The soldiers stood there silently. Citrine got bored and thrust her hands at the both of them. Sailor Mercury went flying into the dome, but Sailor Krypton managed to dodge out of the way. Citrine scowled and concentrated on a wide-scale attack. She thrust her hands outwards toward Krypton, and a wide spread energy attack hurtled towards her. 

There was no way she was going to dodge that...Krypton swallowed hard and closed her eyes tight. Instead of feeling the extreme pain she was expecting, she felt arms going around her and a cape flying over her head. She looked down to her side to find a sword delicately carved from ancient stones and marbles. She looked up with shock to find the last person she expected flinch with pain as the energy blast hit him from behind. 

"L-Luke?!" said Sailor Krypton with shock written all over her face. 

Luke looked down at her and smiled. Of course he knew who it was, and he was going to do anything in his power to protect her. "Just call me the Krypton Knight," he said with a smirk. 

The pair looked down at Krypton Knight's hand. The stone was levitating in his palm, and was glowing as bright as ever. It shot out of his hand and floated between them. 

"What?! What's going on?! Who are you!" yelled a panicking Citrine. 

They ignored her and focused on the stone in front of them. 

Citrine was furious that they were ignoring her and attacked both of them. The attack of energy just simply bounced off of them, as if there was a force field produced by the stone. The energy hurtled back towards Citrine and it hit her dead on. She screamed with pain. 

The stone flowed even more brighter, and they had to cover their eyes to protect them from the light. When the light faded, the stone floated alongside a beautiful crystal. The crystal had no colour, but within the crystal itself there seemed to be a grey mist that sparkled if you looked hard enough. 

The stone floated back into the hand of Krypton Knight and the crystal landed in Sailor Krypton's. As soon as it was in her hands she knew what she had to do. She raised it above her head, and it began to float above her. She muttered words only audible to herself, and a bright light shot out of the crystal. When the light faded, the legendary Maiden stood in Sailor Krypton's place. 

The mouths of the ones around her dropped. She was wearing a shimmering pale silver dress, held up by criss-crossing straps along her back. Underneath the silver were layers upon layers of shiny white chiffon. On her arms were pearl-white satin gloves, and on her head was a golden tiara. In her hand she held a magnificent staff, where the crystal was embedded into the base. 

Citrine glared at her uneasily. She had heard of this before...from Queen Beryl back in the day. She would have fled, but she need that Pure Energy Crystal!

"What you and your allies are doing is wrong, Citrine. Make sure you relay message to him if you live," said the Maiden softly. The memories the royal family of her past flooded to her, and she was easily angered. 

She slammed the staff into the ground and yelled in an unknown language. 

Citrine's mouth dropped in horror as her body was enveloped in light. She felt her body begin to erode, but she fought the urge until the light faded. Citrine fell to the ground, gasping for breath. She coughed and blood sputtered out of her mouth. She was not done yet, though. She charged at the Maiden before her and thrust her hand into her chest. Her fingers wrapped around the energy crystal and she pulled out viciously. Citrine's knees gave way. Her hands were clasped around the energy crystal tightly, and she let out an evil laugh as she disappeared into thin air. The dome disappeared and the soldiers slowly awoke, rushing to the Maiden's side when they did. 

The Maiden fell to her knees and let out a cry of pain. A bright light emitted from her body and when it faded she was left in her normal attire. Luke (now demorphed also) ran to Kori's side. She was lying unconscious on the ground. He picked her up in his arms and carefully placed her head in his lap.

"Is she...dead?" asked Usagi weakly. 

Luke checked her pulse, praying to god that she wasn't. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt her heart beating strongly. "She's alive, but she's unconscious." Luke was terrified. What if she was in a coma? He started to panic. 

Luna jumped onto Kori's chest and she remained still. Luna looked up at look with concern in her beady eyes. "Luke, why don't you take her home. Give us a call if you need anything," she said, tossing him a communictor. 

Luke's mouth dropped. First floating stones, evil women, magic powers, and now a talking cat? Thi swas turning out to be one crazy day. Luke simply nodded to the black cat with a crescent on her forehead and took the communicator, stuffing it in his pocket. 

* * *

Citrine appeared on the black floor of the abyss in front of Varisite. Varisite looked down and took pity upon the beat up orange-haired women at his feet. She held up the crystal for him to see. He studied it with a maddening grin on his face. "Good work Citrine..." he said. He looked down to where Citrine had been, but she was gone. All that left of her was a pool of blood where she had faded into nothing. Varisite shook his head. 

"That fool took her life just for you Varisite," came a voice from the darkness. Varisite turned the the voice and and they smiled evilly in unison. 

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Whoo, that was a long one. My back is killing me from hovering over my notes! I hope that was good enough for you. I did a good job with updating twice in one day, yah? Expect the next chapter up soon. 


	6. Dreamland

Author's Notes: This chapter reveals alot about Kori's past in the Moon Kingdom. Hope you likey! Flashbacks are in italics. 

Disclaimer: Alright, alright. I don't own Sailor Moon and it's respective copyrights. I do however, own the two leading characters and the story itself. No stealing! 

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**Episode 2: Recollections**

**Chapter 6 - Dreamland **

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Luke delicately picked up Kori and managed to get her on his back. He gave a brief goodbye to the others and made is way to Kori's house, which was eight blocks away. Luke sighed, this was going to be a long walk. He turned his head slightly so he could see her face. It was resting on his shoulder, and her arms were draped over his shoulders as well. Her face was dead, her eyes shut, peacefully sleeping. Luke turned to look at the road ahead of him. Although the clouds had cleared after Citrine vanished, it was still dark. Luke thought it must have been past 6:00 pm by now. He shuffled his feet as he walked, kicking up the golden leaves on the road. He really hoped that Kori would be okay. The last thing he ever wanted was her dieing or leaving him. He had just found her, he wasn't about to lose her so quickly. 

Eventually he arrived at Kori's small two-story house. The lights inside were off. He kicked at the door in place of knocking, his hands were to busy holding Kori up on his back. When no one answered, he rattled the doorknob. It was locked. Luke sighed and turned slightly to fish his hand into Kori's pocket for a key. He pulled out all of it's contents, and looked at them in his hands. He came up with two cents, a five dollar bill, some pocket lint, and a small wallet-sized picture of himself and Kori. 

Luke thought back to when the picture was taken. The photo booth had been a tad too small, and Kori had to end up sitting on his lap. Luke didn't complain, he had liked it. They took many goofy pictures, and some nice romantic ones as well where they had cuddled. The one he held in his hand now had been the best one. She had her head rested on his shoulder, and they had both gotten so occupied with staring into each others eyes that they had forgotten the flash went off. Luke chuckled and stuffed the picture into his pocket for safe keeping.

Luke turned around again and fished in Kori's other pocket for her key, desperately hoping that she had one. He found it quickly and let out a sigh of relief. He hurried to open the door with the silver key, and shuffled inside with Kori still on his back. Without bothering to take off his shoes, he carefully carried her upstairs into her bedroom. He placed her on her bed and covered her with the blankets. 

Leaving her there for just a moment, he ran downstairs to search for her mother. He entered the kitchen and found a note sitting on the kitchen table with a pile of money beside it. He picked it up and read it,   
_"Kori,_

_ Sorry hon, but my boss called me up and I have to go on an urgent business trip. I left some money on _

_ the table for you for groceries. I'll see you in two weeks. _

_ Love, _

_ Mom._

_P.S. No parties!"_

Luke set the note down with a sigh. At least he wouldn't have to explain to Ms. Onedia why her daughter was unconscious. It took a heavy weight off his shoulders. 

He walked back up the stairs slowly and sat on the cushioned chair next to it. He looked down at her worriedly. She was sleeping soundlessly, not making any movements whatsoever. He touched her face with his hand and was surprised to find it so cold. He pulled another blanket over her from the end of her bed, hoping it would keep her warm enough. 

He delicately reached across her bed, and picked up the cordless phone sitting on the bed table. He dialled his home number precisely to tell his mother that he was going to stay over at a friends overnight. There was no way eh was going to leave Kori alone, not like this.

* * *

_Kori ran down the hallways of the palace. "I'm going to be late! I'm going to be late! Oooh, Hanako is going to kill me if I'm late!" she cried silently to herself. Whenever she met someone in the hallway, she slowed to a graceful walk and gave them a curt nod, and as soon as they weren't looking, she bolted off down the hallway once more. She was raised to be polite, and she always was told to be as graceful as possible. Her mother always said, 'You must set an example for others. After all you are going to be the Queen one day.' Kori sighed as she jogged down the palace hallways. She never listened to her mother. She would do what she wanted, when she wanted. And she walk walk how she wanted to. She may be the Princess, and they gave her the right to do whatever she wanted. Or so she thought, anyways. _

_She rounded a corner by the library slowly, and saw the person she was meeting. She smiled as she saw the slender young woman with white flowing hair. In Kori's eyes, she was jealous of her beauty. Her snow-white hair ended just before her knees, and it was perfectly straight. To prevent it from dragging on the ground, she tied it back in a low ponytail. Her bangs were cropped and cascaded down the side of her face, framing her pale green eyes. She wore a strapless white gown, which was an odd length. The skirt cut off just below her knees. On her feet she wore sandals which had laces weaving and crossing up her legs. Kori approached the girl and tapped her on her shoulder. _

_She turned around and grinned, bowing down and curtsying. "You grace..." said the girl softly while trying to stifle a laugh that had erupted from the back of her throat. _

_Kori put her hand on her hip and pulled her friend up with the other. "Oh get up, Hanako! You know that pesters me," she complained with a small smile tugging at her lips. _

_Hanako's laughter erupted, as she could no longer hold it in. Kori joined with her fit of giggles. The last time someone had bowed and said that to her who wasn't a stranger, ended up with a swift kick in the rear and a threat to be tossed behind bars. 'Poor Lucas...' thought Hanako to herself. _

_Kori recalled the look of grief and regret he had given her as well. She had been somewhat harsh...but he had known better and now he knew not to do it again. He was as equal to her as anyone, thus they did not need to bow. Kori's face softened as she thought of her love._

_Hanako shoved her lightly with a joking smile. "Come on, let's go for a walk in the Gardens."_

_The princess nodded joyfully and walked towards the gardens arm in arm with her friend. They had been best friends ever since Kori could remember. She was the niece of the Army General, so she had quarters within the palace grounds with her family. She thought of the General. He was rude and uptight, she did not like him at all. He tried to boss her around but he always failed, Kori never listened to him. Her thoughts were interrupted by Hana._

_"Soo...when are you going to marry Sir Lucas, Kori?" asked Hana with a sly smile. She looked to the princess with the corner of her eye to see her reaction. She was blushing madly. Hanako giggled at her reaction. _

_Kori bent down to smell the flowers in the magnificent outdoors gardens. The one she held in her hand was an Oriental Lily, her favourite kind. She sighed and stood back up, looking to Hanako. "I don't know when we'll marry. He hasn't proposed to me yet," she replied somewhat downheartedly. _

_Before Hanako could reply to Kori, she let out a gasp as she saw someone approach from behind her friend. "Uh...I gotta get going, Princess. Sorry I can't stay any longer," she stammered quickly, and rushed off in the opposite direction. _

_Kori was left standing dumbfounded. 'That was odd,' she thought. She scratched her chin and didn't think any more of it. She went to turn around, but felt warm hands wrap around her waist. She turned to see her visitor, and grinned when she saw it was Lucas. The two stood in each other's arms, simply gazing into each other's arms. Even his look made Kori's heart beat fast. He smiled to her sweetly and Kori looked to the ground, trying to hide the enormous blush taking over her face._

* * *

Luke woke up startled and looked at the digital clock sitting on Kori's bedside table. "Oh shit!" he yelped, standing up quickly, "I gotta get to school it's 10:00am!" Luke started to dash for his shoes, but felt stupid and stopped when he realized it was Sunday. 

He went back to the chair he had occupied for the night and watched Kori. She looked so peaceful when she slept. He reached out and touched her pale cheek. Her skin was so soft and smooth, not an abrasion to be seen. However, her skin was deathly cold. He pulled his hand away harshly, for Kori had jerked in her sleep. She started to toss and turn, and Luke bent over to wrap his arms around her and she stopped, unconsciously feeling the comfort she was given. Whatever she had been dreaming about, it must have been important. 

Suddenly the phone rang, making Luke jump out of his skin. He reached over and hesitated before picking it up to answer it "Hello..?" he answered.

"Luke? This is Makoto," came a voice from the other end.

"Oh, hey Mako. How's it going?" he replied.

"I'm alright, but is Kori awake yet?"

"No," he said, "she's still out of it. She's as cold as Death though Mako. I'm starting to worry."

"Well do you mind if we stop by then? Luna wants to check up on her. She said she might be able to come up with some answers."

"I don't mind at all. Come on over," he said while checking back at the clock.

"Thanks, we'll be over soon."

Luke was about to hang up the phone, but heard fussing from the other end and decided against it.

"Rei! Give the pho-"

"No! I need to tell h-"

"Tell him later!"

"NO!" Luke recognized Rei's voice and chuckled to himself as she and Mako fought over the receiver. 

The voices became unmuffled and Luke heard a voice speak to him, "Luke? This is Rei."

"Hi R-"

"Is Kori's mother there?"

"N-"

"Okay, bye then!"

"By-" Luke finished speaking to a dial tone. He shrugged and set the phone down. He wondered how many people would be coming. After all, Mako had said "we", and there were _alot_ of Sailor Soldiers...

Ten minutes passed by and eventually he heard a knocking at the door. He ran down the stairs to the front door and pulled it open. There in front of him stood a small group of people, waiting to come in. He made out the group as Usa, Chibi-Usa, Rei, Makoto, Ami, Ken, and Luna. Luke sighed as he let them all in. 

"So where's Kori?" were the first words out of Usagi's mouth. 

"She's probably in her bedroom, duh!" replied Rei smartly as she headed upstairs to Kori's bedroom. 

The rest of the girls followed like a herd of buffalo, leaving Luke and Ken standing in the hallway. 

"Nice to see you too!" he said sarcastically with a small wave. 

Ken looked to him and chuckled. "Girls eh? They never change," he commented. 

Luke nodded with agreement and headed to Kori's bedroom. When he stepped in the doorway he was surprised to see the girls hovering and smothering the sleeping Kori. Chibi-Usa was sitting on the bed next to Kori's face, which he didn't really mind because she was so small. The other girls on the other hand, were leaning right over her and weren't giving her any room to breathe. 

Luke ran over and started to pull them off, "Hey, give her some room to breathe!" he commented.

The girls looked at him annoyingly. They backed off anyhow. 

"Alright, let's get down to business," said Ami.

Ken looked to Luna, "So how do we know what Citrine took from Kori?"

Ami nodded her head curtly and answered his question, "I heard her say something about a Pure Energy Crystal. Luna, do you know anything about what it is?"

Everyone's gaze was on the petite cat in the centre of the circle around the bed. "Well, I've heard of them, "she replied. "They say that five Pure Energy Crystals were imbedded into five different people. If all five were collected, then the holder of them would be granted the powers of a god. It seems that Kori was the first holder," she finished, looking at Kori. 

"Any idea how long she'll be asleep?" asked Makoto anxiously.

Ami took out her mini computer and entered data into it. She shook her head silently. "It says here that she'll wake up when she reveals herself, whatever that means. However, when she does she might not remember anything about who she is. The crystal was a big part of her. Only a certain thing will be able to make her remember."

Luke felt like as if he was going to break. What if she never woke up? And what if she did...and she didn't remember who he was? He felt the tears start to swell up in his eyes, but shook them off to save himself the embarrassment. 

* * *

_Princess Kori looked to the sky of her planet quietly. The sky had no moons, just stars. Stars that twinkled from every corner of her eye. The sky was very clear that night, which was slightly unusual because the asteroid field often covered it completely. It was so clear she could even make out other planets in the distance. There was the kingdom of Mars, the bright glowing red in the sky. And there was Jupiter, sitting solitary by itself. She looked to her left and caught a glimpse of Venus, known to be the planet of love. _

_She sighed sadly to herself. Love...why hadn't Sir Lucas proposed to her yet? She had been waiting for so long, and was starting to get restless. She was sure he could tell, but why didn't he do anything about it? Was he afraid? _

_She recalled the night she had first met him. They had been at a magnificent ball like the one she was at now. She looked back through the large archway that led to the overhanging balcony she stood on. She looked back at the night sky, which soothed her and thought about when she had first met him._

_The ball had been magnificent. It was for the commemoration of the arrival of new soldiers. Lucas had been one of them, unaware that he would someday be guarding the princess of the planet he loved so much. He had been bold enough to ask her to dance, not knowing she was the princess because she wore a mask to hide her face. She gratefully accepted, and they danced all night long. _

_Kori starred out a the star filled sky and tried to reveal all its secrets. Krypton was a lonely planet situated by itself, away from the others. The asteroid field surrounded it completely, it was a good defence mechanism. Because it was so solitary, it was very peaceful. Her people hated to fight, but when it was their last resort, they fought bravely._

_She sighed and looked at her hands, clutching the balcony. She heard a song beginning to be played in the ballroom. It was her favourite song. She swayed back and forth to the music, humming the words softly to herself. _

"I remember the nights I watched as you lay sleeping  
Your body gripped by some far away dream," 

_She was cut off by heavy footsteps behind her. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and she turned to see Lucas gazing down at her. _

_He held out his hand to her bravely, just as he had the first night they met, "Care to dance m'lady?"_

_She smiled warmly and placed her hand in his own, letting her body be pulled close to his. His touch was so warm and inviting. One she could feel even through the satin gloves she wore on her hands. She closed her eyes and let her head rest on his shoulder as they swayed back and forth to the calm music. _

"Deep in the hollow of earthly desires  
But if in some dream there was brightness  
If in some memory some sort of sign  
And flesh be revived in the shadows  
Blessed our bodies would lay so entwined,"_  
_

_Her mother had hummed this tune to her at night when she couldn't sleep as a child. Back then it had just been music, but someone had written lyrics to it and it first the music perfectly. She made a mental note to herself to remember those lyrics so she could one day sing them to her children. _

_She looked over her Knight's shoulder to see others gliding around in the ballroom. She occasionally saw the other Princess' pass by, dancing with their own Knights as well._

_Her attention came back to herself and Lucas dancing on the balcony as the song came to an end. Kori looked up at Lucas and smiled as he gazed down at her lovingly. "Lucas..." she muttered quietly._

_He hushed her by placing a finger over her lips. He tilted her chin up to his face and he leaned in, lightly pressing his lips against hers. His stomach tingled as he massaged her lips with his tongue. He felt her press her body against him tightly, and he wrapped his arms around her as if he'd never let her go._

_Eventually the kiss ended, and Kori gasped for air as a small smile played on her moist lips. They continued dancing slowly, even though the music had changed to something more upbeat. The wind stirred up their hair, mixing it together. _

_Kori opened her mouth to say something to her beloved, but Lucas stopped her instantly by pulling a small ring from his pocket. She gasped with delight. _

_Lucas bent down on one knee with his hand slightly holding the curvature of her lower half. he held the ring to her with twinkling eyes, "Princess, would you do the honour of being mine forever by being my wife?"_

_Kori's eyes filled with happy tears, but they did not spill over. She was speechless. She simply nodded in reply with a grin stretching across her face. _

_Lucas grinned happily and pulled her into another kiss, placing the finger on her left ring finger as he did so._

_When they parted, Kori turned away from him for a moment to notice that the ballroom was starting to empty._

_Before she could say much more to him, Lucas pulled her to him and whispered in her ear, "I will never stop loving you, my beloved. No matter what happens." Giving her a quick kiss to the cheek, he left her on the balcony breathless and unable to find words. _

* * *

Sailor Pluto looked into the huge mirror in front of her solemnly, watching the memory of Princess Krypton's engagement night flicker before her eyes. Hopefully the girl would wake up soon. Sailor Pluto only hoped that her help would quicken the pace of Kori's recovery. The other Sailor Soldiers were going to need Sailor Krypton's help in the future battle approaching them. They also needed to get their hands on the other four Pure Energy Crystals before Varisite did...Sailor Pluto scratched her chin thoughtfully. What the other senshi did not know that once all five crystals were collected and merged, their original holders would die, including Kori. 

"But until then..." muttered the tall woman. She gave her Garnet Staff a quick twist, giving Kori another memory from her past.

* * *

It had now been two days since Kori had fallen into her coma. Luke was going out of his mind. He wanted to caress her soft hair, listen to her soft voice, and gaze into her grey eyes again. Without her he felt like a ghost, almost as if part of him was missing. He just needed to know if she was going to be alright!

He kicked at the pebbles on the road angrily as he walked to Kori's house. The faster he got there, the better. Even if she didn't talk back to him, he needed to speak to her. Sure she was unconscious and probably didn't even hear him, but talking to her made him feel a little better.

He picked up his pace as he neared Kori's house. Makoto had done him the favour and had stayed with Kori throughout the day, even though she was supposed to be at school. He would've done so himself, but Mako insisted that he go. He had after all, been there all day and night watching over her. His parents never even noticed he had been gone so often. Conveniently, they had gone out of town for a few days to visit his sick aunt. 

"Finally," he muttered to himself as he walked up the steps of Kori's house and through her front door. He took off his shoes and went up the stairs to Kori's room. When he walked in he saw Makoto sitting on the floor leaning against the bed, watching the small television on top of Kori's dresser. 

Luke walked up to her meekly and looked to Kori's sleeping face. "Any change?" he asked hopefully. 

Mako shook her head sadly with a sigh. "Well I got to get to a senshi meeting now," she said as she stood up. 

"Alright, thanks Makoto. I really appreciate it," replied Luke.

Mako turned and flashed him a weak smile as she went out the door, "No problem."

* * *

Varisite looked into the portal, his companion standing to his side. Unlike Citrine, this woman had gained enough respect from Varisite to actually stand _with_ him, not behind him. 

"Hmm...I wonder who our next volunteer is," he said quietly, giving a glance to the woman who stared into the portal emotionless. When he looked away from her, her white eyes flickered over his body, taking it in. He wasn't scrawny like most of the others she knew. He was well built, and it was well shown by the tight shirt he wore and sleeveless trench coat. On his legs he simply wore a pair of baggy black pants. She glanced at his face and hair quickly. His hair was dark black, and his eyes were dark purple. They were so dark you could barely see his pupils. 

Varisite failed to notice the woman looking him up and down and took his small black ouch from his pocket. Taking a small pinchful of the crystalline dust, he tossed it into the dark portal. "Who will be the next holder of a Pure Energy Crystal?" he shouted. The image of a small girl, maybe only 5 or so, with blonde pigtails formed in the swirling mass of purple smoke. Varisite looked to his companion and they laughed in unison. 

* * *

_Kori dashed down the hallway while holding up her dress so she wouldn't trip. She looked back to the shadow gaining on her, and she ran as hard as she could, trying to outrun the beast. The shadow had no form, it was simply a shadow with glowing yellow eyes. Kori didn't want to look into those eyes. _

_Kori yelped out as she tripped over her dress, landing on the floor with a thud. The breath was knocked out of her as she tried to get up. She was stunned to see the shadow right behind her. She scrambled back to her feet and took off down the hallway with the _thing_ on her tail. _

_The frantic princess rounded a corner and went catapulting through something. She looked behind her from the floor. She had passed right through another shadow! She screamed as the two crawled up to her. She backed against the wall and there was no longer anything else she could do. The shadows raised their 'arms' above them and prepared to strike Kori down. _

_"Hey! It's not her you want! Come and get me!"_

_Kori opened her eyes that she had closed in fear. She looked to the voice and gasped as the two shadows hurtled towards Hanako. 'NO!' her mind shouted. The princess stumbled to her feet. "No! Hanako!" she screamed as the shadows grabbed her friend. One of them turned to Kori and shot her backwards with a force she couldn't explain. Kori shot backwards and hit a marble statue, falling to the floor._

_Hana screamed as the monsters pulled her into another dimension. _

_Kori shot her head up in alarm. They would _not_ take her best friend from her. However, by the time she had gotten back on her feet, her friend and the shadows were gone. Kori ran to where they had been standing seconds before. There was no trace that they had even been there. _

_Tears streamed down the princess' cheeks. "Hana...I'm so sorry," she said. She stared down at the floor, her eyes filled with tears. She wiped her face and noticed something sitting on the floor. It was a Lily. _

* * *

Makoto and Minako walked down the sidewalk downtown towards the arcade. The two were having an in depth conversation...

"So, who do you think's better? Sailor V or Wonder Woman?" asked Mina, looking to her friend expecting an answer. 

Mako rolled her eyes and changed the subject. She didn't want to talk about this right now. The two had just come back from the "scout" meeting and the thoughts of the Negaverse and Kori still lingered on her mind. "I'm making BBQ Port Spare Ribs tonight for Ken and I. Do you think he'll like it?" she asked her blonde friend. 

Minako laughed. Did she seriously thin he wouldn't? Mako was an awesome cook! "Of course he'll like it! He likes an-"

Mina was cut off by a scream coming from the alley beside them. Makoto looked to Mina with alarm, and the two bolted into the alleyway, hiding behind a dumpster. The two peered around the dumpster. They gasped at what they saw. A woman in white was holding up a little girl by her throat, with her other hand to her chest. A white light was starting to emerge from it. Mina and Mako looked to each other and nodded.

_"Venus Star Power!"_

_"Jupiter Star Power!"_

The two transformed in their fighting forms. They jumped out from behind the dumpster.

"Venus Love-Me-Chain!" shouted Sailor Venus, shooting the heart-filled chain at the woman.

The woman looked up from the little girl and brushed off the attack with a gust of wind. Sailor Venus' mouthed dropped. 

Sailor Jupiter slammed her fist into her other palm and cracked her fingers. She scowled and charged at the woman. 

The woman laughed and stepped out of the way, watching Sailor Jupiter crash into the wall behind her. 

Sailor Jupiter rubbed her neck painfully. The wind had been knocked right out of her. She rolled over and held her stomach as she tried to catch her breath. 

The woman thrust her hand into the little girls chest. The girl screamed as the woman wrapped her fingers around the Pure Energy Crystal inside of her. She pulled the crystal from her harshly, dropping the little girl as she went unconscious. 

_"Supreme Thunder Dragon!" _shouted Sailor Jupiter as she unleashed her attack. 

Before the dragon could reach the white-haired woman, she disappeared in a swirl of wind. 

The scouts ran over to the little girl and demorphed. Mina picked up the little girl and held her in her arms, brushing the blonde hair from her tiny face. "Now what?" she asked.

Makoto shrugged. Sure as hell beat her. She had no idea what they could do. 

Minako stood and started to walk off with the girl in her arms. 

"Where are you going!?" cried Makoto as she stood and followed Mina, ignoring the strange looks they got from passing people. 

"I'm going to the hospital," replied Minako determinedly. 

"Yeah, and what are you going to tell the Doctors and Nurses? That you heard a scream in the alley, and found a little girl lying there in a coma?"

Mina looked to her friend with concerned eyes and nodded. She just wanted to help the girl. What else could they do? "Do you have a better idea?" she asked.

Makoto shook her head shamefully.

They rushed into the nearest hospital, being careful not to drop the small girl in Mina's arms. They ran over to the nearest Doctor, telling him their story. He seemed to buy it, at least for now. He took the girl from Mina's arms. "Do you know her name or who her mother is?" he asked with raised eyebrows. 

The blonde and brunette looked to each other and shrugged. They knew _nothing_. 

The doctor shook his head and dismissed them, walking away with the child and handing her to a nurse. 

Makoto and Mina left the hospital in a hurry. They didn't want to stand around long enough for someone to catch their names. As they left, Makoto took out her communicator and called Luna. 

* * *

_Princess Kori ducked behind a pile of rubble as a blast of debris flew over her head. However, the impact would be too strong and Kori braced herself for impact. Before the debris reached her fragile frame a cape swept over her and she saw Prince Endymion kneeling over her. After the debris had passed, she stood. _

_"Thank you," she said politely, bowing her head to the future King. _

_"No thanks needed Your Highness," he replied as he started to walk away. _

_"Wait!"_

_Endymion stopped and turned to the distressed maiden behind him. _

_"...Where's Lucas?" she asked with dread. She hadn't seen him since they had arrived at the Moon Kingdom. She prayed that he wasn't dead. _

_Endymion looked at the ground painfully. Where he as he was better off dead. "He's...he's on the battlefield fighting to protect you. It's by his own will. I'm sorry, Kori."_

_Kori fought back a sob. Why? Why did he have to leave of all things to do that? How was he supposed to protect her if he died? Worse yet, the endless hole in her heart would never be filled by anyone but him...She wouldn't let him lead himself to suicide. She just wouldn't._

_In a fit of anger and tears the princess pushed past Endymion towards the battlefield. _

_"You Highness! Stop! Kori!" yelled Endymion. But it was too late. She had already run out of earshot. For someone in high heeled shoes and a dress she sure could run fast. _

_Kori ran to the edge of the battlefield. She jumped back as something whizzed by her ear. Her eyes scanned over the bloody field. Bodies were everywhere. Most of them were human...Kori tried to keep back her sobs, but ended up choking on them. This wasn't right...What would happen if their side lost? Kori didn't want to think of it._

_Her head jerked up when she saw a platinum head dash through the field. Her eyes lit up as she saw her Knight clash swords with another being. She ran into the field foolishly, letting her heart and not her mind, guide the way. She stopped behind Lucas and started to drag him out of the battle fearlessly. _

_Lucas turned around abruptly, ready to strike whoever pulled him from behind. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was only his princess. _

_When they reached a safe place however, Lucas started a fit of anger. "What the hell did you think you were doing?! You could've gotten killed doing that Kori! It was very foolish," he started. _

_"Well what the fuck were you doing!? How are you supposed to protect me when you're _dead_!" she replied with frustration, tears ready to topple over her eyelids. _

_Lucas calmed when he saw Kori ready to cry. His hands reached to her face and wiped the tears away, holding his face close to hers so that their noses touched. He stroked her cheek as she sniffled, looking into her eyes. "I would never leave you princess, you know that." _

_Unbeknownst to the couple, the Knight's opponent had followed him off the field and was now watching them carefully from a yard away. He was shocked to see the woman in his arms was none other than the Krypton Princess herself. The being chuckled softly to himself and raised its sword above his head. The sword plunged into the princess' back and he laughed as he pulled it out, watching blood pour from the wound. _

_Kori's mouth dropped and the air was released from her lungs as she felt something slide through her stomach. The pain! It was tremendous. She put her hands to her stomach and lifted her now bloody hands to eye level. Her knees buckled and she felt herself fall to the ground. _

_Lucas growled at the being behind Kori and charged at him with all the anger he never knew he could possess. No one touched her! No one! He swung his sword at the being but it simply laughed at him and vanished into a purple smoke._

_ "You'll pay for this! I promise you!" screamed Lucas into the air. He ran back to Kori, who now lay on the ground holding her stomach._

_"I..." she muttered to herself, "It hurts so much..."_

_"Don't worry, I'll get you some help..." he said softly to her as he fought back the tears. He picked her up gently, and ran off to find her immediate medical attention. _

* * *

Minako and Makoto trudged miserably into the temple. They sat at the table and watched as their friends walked into also, looking depressed. 

"So they got another crystal, huh babe?" said Antonio to Mina, wrapping his arm around her shoulder for comfort.

Mina nodded and looked to her boyfriend, giving a weak attempt to smile. 

"We couldn't stop her. She was way too strong," said Makoto grimly. 

"Who's she?" asked Ami.

Mako and Minako shrugged in reply. How were they supposed to know?

"She had creepy white eyes. Her hair was about down to her waist and tied in a ponytail at the bottom. It was white too. She was just creepy looking in general," said Minako, looking to her brunette friend for agreement. 

"Yeah," said Mako with a nod, "and she stopped all of our attacks with _wind_. It was amazing."

Luna pondered to herself. She looked to Artemis, who sat beside her silently. He knew something, just as she did. Well, felt it anyways. That description of the woman was so familiar, but she couldn't think of who she was. Never mind why she was working with Varisite. 

Artemis on the other hand could think of who the two soldiers spoke of. But there was no way, no way it could be her. If only Kori...Artemis pushed it aside and decided not to think about it. 

"Hey Artemis! What're you thinking about?" asked Usagi. 

"Oh...nothing, Usa. Don't worry about it," he replied.

* * *

_Lucas held onto Kori's bloody hand. It was cold and trembling. He held her close, not wanting to lose her. They couldn't find any paramedics, they had all been killed. So in result, the princess' wounds had to be left unattended. _

_He looked down at Kori's face. Her eyes were closed tight, and she was breathing in short raspy breaths. No doubt had blood gotten into her lungs. It looked as of she was sleeping, but a smile spread across her face. _

_"Lucas...it's my song...my song is playing. Can't you hear it?" she said weakly. _

_Lucas listened but heard nothing but gunshots, metal clashing, and explosions. "No," he said sadly," I don't hear anything. You're hearing things, Kori."_

_"But I hear it, Lucas, I really do!" she cried. She tried to sit up, but moaned with pain and laid back down after her attempt failed. She rested her head in Lucas' lap. Kori closed her eyes again and a tear escaped, rolling down her pale cheek. "But I do...I really do..." she muttered quietly._

_"You can hear and do anything you want to," replied Lucas gingerly. _

_"Really?"_

_"...Yes," he replied as a tear fell down his cheek. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to get married and live happily ever after. But of course, this was reality. Nothing happened like you wanted it to._

_Kori smiled and wiped away his tear. She knew what he was thinking. He must've thought she was crazy for thinking she heard her song. But she really did hear it...maybe it was just in her head. _

_Lucas shifted so he was holding Kori in his arms with her back resting upon his chest. He was still holding her hand. He unravelled their sticky fingers and held her hand gently. He brought it up to his face to inspect it. On her left ring finger was their engagement ring. He stared at it breathlessly. It was silver, with a large pearl inset into the middle. _

_Kori looked at what he was inspecting. She then looked to him and tried to smile. Instead, she ended up with half of one. She raised her shaky hand, tracing her finger around his face. _

_Lucas grabbed her hand and held it to his face. This was it, he had made up his mind. "Let's go get married. Right now."_

_Kori looked shocked. But...? "How? all the priests are dead. Besides love, I can't even stand up..." she said, trying to keep a smile on her face as she fought to keep back tears. _

_"Well I'll find one. If we can't, I'll ask Queen Serenity to do it. You don't need to walk. I'll carry you."_

_Kori smiled without effort. Just hearing his words made her feel better. "Alright then, Hero."_

_Lucas chuckled softly and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. _

_He jogged down the crumbling halls of the great palace, looking for anyone. He watched as Prince Endymion entered a room. He followed him slowly, with the princess in his arms. He peeked around the corner of the room and saw Queen Serenity, her daughter, Prince Endymion, Luna, and Artemis sitting around a table wearily. He walked in as Queen Serenity looked up. _

_She ran over to the blood covered couple. "Sir Lucas, what has happened here?" she cried. _

_"One of the Nega demons impaled her with a sword. We have a favour to ask you," replied Lucas. _

_"Alright, first things first. Bring her over here so Luna can tend to her wounds," replied the Queen, pointing over in the raven-haired woman's direction. _

_Lucas set Kori on the table and Luna cared to her wounds, bandaging them carefully. He turned to the Queen once more, "Would you marry Kori and myself?"_

_Queen Serenity placed her hand over her heart, slightly shocked. At a time like this? "Well, uh, I'm not sure, Sir. I mean I -" _

_Queen Serenity was cut off by a small voice coming from Kori, "Please, help us Serenity. Please..." _

_"Well I guess I could do it," said Artemis suddenly. _

_"Good," nodded Lucas. _

_Luna helped Princess Kori stand, and led her over to her Knight in shining armor. Lucas took over when Kori approached and supported her by holding her in his arms. The couple looked to Artemis, who stood there grimly with his hands clasped in front of him. _

_"Sir Lucas, do you?"_

_Lucas nodded, his messy platinum coloured hair bouncing around him. _

_"Princess Kori, do you?"_

_Kori looked to Lucas and nodded, a weak smile spreading across her cracked lips. _

_Artemis nodded happily. "By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and - aagh!"_

_Everyone in the room toppled over as the wall next to them fell. The debris floating around them cleared and Queen Serenity gasped as she saw Queen Beryl herself standing where the wall once was. _

_"wife..." finished Artemis carefully._

_Queen Serenity held the Ginzuishou closely in her hand. There was no way she was getting her hand on it. _

_Princess Serenity looked to Prince Endymion, as if she was ready to start crying. Why was this happening?_

_"How...sweet. A marriage! A short termed one at that!" snickered Queen Beryl, holding her hand above her head. "Hand over the Ginzuishou, Serenity!" she shouted. _

_"Quick, everyone outside! Run!" yelled Prince Endymion._

_The group got up and made their attempt to flee from the scene. Endymion held his princess' hand, dragging her down the hallways with Luna, Artemis, Lucas and Kori in his arms following. Kori looked behind them to see a bright light flash and Queen Serenity hobbled out of the room, chasing behind them. _

* * *

Lucas looked at Kori's sleeping face solemnly. It had been too long...When was she going to awaken? He missed her cheery laughter and her beaming smile. Most of all he missed her corny jokes. 'Please, let her wake up!' he thought to himself.

He reached his hand to Kori's face and brushed the silver and black hair out of her face. "Damnit!" he shouted, "Isn't there anything I can do?" He slammed his fist into the floor angrily, regretting that he had done so as soon as his fingers made contact with the carpet. He sighed and lifted his head. He jumped back in surprise. Kori was sitting up, staring at the wall with a hand on her forehead with half-shut eyes. 

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Sorry for such the wait, by the way. ^.^' I guess I made up for it with a long chapter. In case you didn't get it, Planet Krypton is situated inside the asteroid field separating the inner planets from the outer planets. Hence, the whole "stone" thing...Heh heh...The song that was also mentioned in this chapter, was I Will Not Forget You by Sarah McLachlan. That song will also be used in following chapters. If you leave me a yummy review, I'll give you a sandwich...^.~


	7. Sleeping Beauty Awakens

Author's Notes: Hope you enjoyed the last chapter ^.^ A whole whopping 19027 words...that's my longest fic ever! I'm putting alot of thought and hard work into this so please, enjoy it! 

Disclaimer: Alright, alright. I don't own Sailor Moon and it's respective copyrights. I do however, own the two leading characters and the story itself. No stealing! 

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**Episode 2: Recollections**

**Chapter 7 - Sleeping Beauty Awakens**

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_"Kori, you're too slow. Get on my back," said Lucas, kneeling down so that the princess could climb onto him. He hopped up, and jogged after Endymion down the hallway. Apparently Queen Serenity had one last attempt to save their Kingdom. What it was though, Lucas had no idea. _

_Lucas followed Endymion, who led them outside where the other inner princesses were waiting for them in the soldier uniforms. _

_Kori looked down at her blood, torn dress. Once a beautiful blue gown, it now hung in rags and was covered in dry blood. Why hadn't she thought of changing to her soldier form? She kicked herself mentally. _

_She noticed Princess Ami staring at her with concern filtering through her blue eyes. "It's nothing really," she ensured, "It's just a flesh wound. Luna took care of it." Even still, the Princess of Mercury didn't look satisfied. _

_"Everyone, come here," said Serenity softly. _

_The princesses and their bodyguards circled around the Queen. _

_"You cannot stay here any longer. Even though you are all like children to me, you have better chances of being reborn on Earth," said Serenity grimly._

_The group was shocked. Reborn...on Earth? How would they possibly cope?_

_A huge blast came form behind them, and they tried their best to stay on their feet. _

_"Quickly! Everyone, ready?" shouted the silver haired Queen. _

_Lucas looked to Kori and noticed tears streaming down her face. he reached over and wiped them away, pulling her into an embrace. _

_"What about you, Mother!" cried Princess Serenity. _

_"Don't worry dear, I'll be fine. I'll watch over you," she replied softly, trying to keep the tears back that so desperately wanted to spill over. "Luna, Artemis, go with them."_

_The white haired man and his companion nodded, approaching the group of distressed young royalty. _

_Lucas stared into Kori's eyes, "Never forget..." he whispered, kissing her gently. _

_Queen Serenity lifted the Moon Stick above her head, the Ginzuishou glowing brightly. _

_Lucas and Kori were separated by bubble-like barriers, as well as the rest of the Knights and Princesses. _

_Kori pressed her hand against bubble, gazing at Lucas lovingly. She watched as Lucas did the same. She felt her eyes start to droop as she was lifted into the air, and fell into a deep sleep with her hand still on the side of the bubble. _

_'Never forget...'_

* * *

She awoke to find a plaster ceiling above her. She opened her eyes groggily, the light was so bright. She shut them again and sat up, rubbing her forehead. She had an immense headache. Where was she? She opened her eyes slowly, to find herself in a warm bed. What...? She didn't remember any of this. This wasn't her room...or was it? She couldn't remember.

She looked to her right and saw a platinum haired boy gawking at her with his mouth open. 

"Kori, you're awak! Oh my God I was so worried!" he shouted excitedly. He jumped up and tried to embrace Kori, but she backed away to the other side of the bed before he could touch her, swatting his hands away. 

Lucas was very hurt, and he felt his eyes start to sting. Did she not remember him? 'Agh, this is so frustrating...' he thought to himself. 

Kori relaxed when she noticed the hurt in the boys eyes. Those bright blue eyes...Kori blinked and looked away. He was so familiar to her, but where did she know him from? She felt bad for not remembering. 

"Kori...do you remember who I am?" the boy asked her gingerly.

Kori scratched her chin and thought for a moment. No, she didn't. Not at all. She looked to him sadly and shook her head with a no. 

Lucas sighed heavily. His worst fear had come true. She didn't remember her own boyfriend. Well, his only choice was to help her remember. "Do you remember who you are?" he asked.

Kori wasn't too sure to be honest. She opened her mouth as if she was going to speak, and then shut it again with a shrug. "I...I think my name's Kori Oneida. Am I right?" she replied.

Luke nodded in reply. This was going to be tough...

Kori started to play with her hair, noticing it was dirty. She grimaced and looked to the boy sitting next to her on the bed. "I'm...going to take a shower. Do you mind?"

Luke shook his head silently, looking at the ground. 

Kori removed herself from her bed and picked up a housecoat she found laying on the floor. She turned around swiftly before leaving the room to look at the boy. He was holding a small picture in his hands, and a small splash of water fell onto it. She looked to his face and noticed he was crying. 

She walked to him cautiously, and placed her hand softly on his shoulder. She wished there was something she could do...something to make his tears stop. She didn't know why, but something inside of her tugged away to do _something_. When he didn't turn to face her, Kori bent over and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. 

Luke was surprised. Why was she hugging him? Did she remember...or not? He was so confused. Even still, the warmth of her arms calmed him and he relaxed. He turned to her, wiping away the tears on his cheeks. "Why...?" he questioned.

"I'm sorry I can't remember. I really wish I could. But something inside me tells me that you need me, so I'm here for you, okay?" she whispered in his ear. 

Kori released him from her arms and left the room abruptly to have a shower. What had she said? She hadn't willed herself to say it, much less hug him, but she had. Kori rubbed off the feeling and hopped under the steaming water to rinse herself.

Luke was more confused than he had ever been in his entire life. Heck, he was probably more confused than Kori was. She was the one with amnesia, not him. He just wanted to talk to someone about the whole situation and how he felt, but the one person he wanted to tell didn't remember anything about it. It killed him to think about it.

Luke rose himself from his position on the chair beside the bed, and walked to the bathroom door. It was shut, but from behind it he could hear water streaming from the shower. He stared at the door solemnly, as if it would give him the answers to his problems. 

He sighed and tore himself away from the door as the water turned off, and went downstairs into the kitchen. He picked up the phone, dialling Rei's number. He figured his friends would be a in a "scout" meeting. He waited impatiently as the phone rang, and after two rings someone finally picked up. 

"Hello?" came Rei's voice from the receiver end of the phone.

"Hey Rei..." replied Luke.

"Oh, hi Luke."

"Listen, is anyone else there?" he asked.

"Just Usa and Chad."

"Good, do you mind if I bring over Kori?"

Luke heard a scream of excitement from the other end of the phone line, "She's awake?!"

Luke nodded to himself and replied, "Yeah..."

"Does she remember anything? At all?" asked Rei.

"...No."

"Oh, I see. Well come on over we'll be here."

"Bye."

Luke hung up the phone quietly. He turned to find Kori behind him, drying her damp hair with a towel. To him, she was absolutely beautiful. If only she knew...

"Hey, you never told me your name, you know," said Kori silently. 

"Oh yeah..." replied Luke, scratching the back of his head. He had totally forgotten. He held out a shaky hand for her to shake, "I'm Luke Tadishi."

"Luke...that's a really nice name, I like it," said Kori thoughtfully.

"Thanks," he replied, "Uh, do you mind if we go see Rei and Usa? They want to see you."

"No, I don't mind," she replied. She didn't know those people, at least, she thought so.

"Do you even remember them?" he asked her. 

Kori grimaced. 'I guess I did know them...' she thought to herself. She shook her head with a no. 

Luke sighed heavily. This was being proven difficult...

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I know, a little short compared to the last ones. Well, please leave a review!


	8. Memory's Melody

Author's Notes: Hope you enjoyed the last chapter ^.^ A whole whopping 19027 words...that's my longest fic ever! I'm putting alot of thought and hard work into this so please, enjoy it! 

Disclaimer: Alright, alright. I don't own Sailor Moon and it's respective copyrights. I do however, own the two leading characters and the story itself. No stealing! 

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**Episode 2: Recollections**

**Chapter 8 - Memory's Melody**

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"Are we going now?" asked Kori as she grabbed her coat, throwing it over her shoulders to cover her bare arms from the brisk autumn winds. 

The two left the house quietly, not saying a word to the other. Luke was too depressed to say anything, and if he did, he felt as if his heart would break to look Kori straight in the eye. 

Kori on the other hand, wanted to know more about herself, but because Luke didn't feel comfortable talking about, she kept quiet. She walked beside Luke quietly, trying to make up for his long strides with quick paces. 

Luke figured he was walking a tad too fast for Kori, but he wanted to get to Rei's quickly so the odd silence would end. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, and felt something at the bottom. He pulled it out and stopped dead in his tracks when he realized what it was he was holding. 

Kori stopped with him. "What is it?" she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Don't you remember anything? Even about us?" asked Luke, passing her the small picture he held in his hand. 

Kori took the picture and studied it. "Ugh..." she moaned, rubbing her temples. 

_"Hey watch the hands, mister!" laughed Kori._

_"You're the one that wanted pictures of us, so get in here!" said Luke jokingly, holding back the curtain of the photo booth so she could get in. _

_Kori climbed inside the booth and plopped herself onto Luke's lap, letting out a soft giggle as she did so._

_Luke bent forward and deposited the money in the machine. He leaned back and wrapped his arms around Kori as the flash started, taking pictures of them._

Almost as if the flash had stunned her eyes, she rubbed them. As soon as it had come, it was gone again. Her memories were right under her nose, but she couldn't grasp them. She groaned and looked to Luke, who was looking at her with concern. 

"Well?" he asked her. 

"No...No I don't remember," she said angrily. Maybe if he stopped pressuring her to remember she would. "I thought...no. I don't."

"Thought so," replied Luke sadly. 

They continued walking down the sidewalk, heading towards the temple. Kori looked to Luke with a sideward glance. He looked hurt. She looked down at the sidewalk and regretted sounding so harsh with him. He was only trying to help. 

She looked back to him fully. He was biting his lip and muttering to himself. Kori poked his cheek and said, "You shouldn't keep your face like that, it might get stuck like that." She let out a small giggle.

He looked at her and relaxed, but said nothing. He wished he could be as calm as her, even through stressful situations. He looked to her longingly, but she didn't notice. He wanted to just bundle her up in his arms and kiss all their troubles away, but he knew that wasn't the case. She would probably slap him for it anyways. 

When they arrived at the temple they were greeted by Chad, who was in his usual temple accustomed uniform, sweeping away at the sidewalk. 

"Hey, dude! The girls are inside. Kori, it's nice to see you're okay. We were all worried about you, yeah?" said Chad cheerfully. He and Rei were obviously getting along well today. 

As they walked away Kori looked at the shaggy haired boy curiously. She looked to Luke for answers,

He laughed when he saw her expression. "That was Chad, Rei's boyfriend," he told her.

Kori nodded her head, her black and platinum hair bobbing around her face.

Luke pulled back the screen door to the temple and let Kori in past him.

Kori looked around the room cautiously. It all seemed so familiar to her, but...she couldn't remember. It was making her frustrated. 

"Kori!" yelled Usagi eagerly when she saw her friend walk into the room. She jumped up and ran to her friend to give her a hug, but Kori moved out of the way and Usa fell to the floor, landing on her face. 

Kori had moved to avoid being tackled by a blonde girl, and tried to stifle a laugh as she fell on the floor. She looked to Luke and found he was also trying to do the same. 

"Hahaha...ha. I meant to do that!" screeched Usa from the floor. She stood up and sat back in her place beside Rei at the small table in the centre of the room. 

"Oh, Kori. This is Usagi," he said pointing to the blonde. "And this is Rei," he motioned to a raven-haired girl sitting beside the blonde. She looked very grim. Kori pondered why. She sat at the table across from her new acquaintances, and smiled as Luke sat beside her. She felt comfortable around him. He had obviously watched over her while she slept, and she was grateful for it. 

"So Rei, I heard you were going to perform at the Hospital Benefit to celebrate the new wing they built," said Usa excitedly. 

Rei looked to her and grinned, "Sure am!" She stopped and scratched her chin for a moment. "But the only thing is, I need a partner for a duet."

Kori jumped up, her hands clasped together anxiously. "I'll do it!" she cried. 

Luke looked to her surprised. He hadn't told her that she sang. 

"Sure...why not?" replied Rei. 

"I didn't know you sang," noted Luke to Kori.

"Yeah, me too!" exclaimed Usa.

"Well I guess there's things about me that none of us know, eh?" she said with a wink. Everyone sighed to her comment. 

"Well...as much as I hate to leave you here Kori, I have to go home," said Luke. He didn't want to leave her, but he had no choice. He hadn't been home for days. He guessed his parents may be a little angry about that...especially when his grandmother was ill. 

Kori shot up and enveloped Luke in a hug. She didn't want him to leave either, especially after everything he had done for her. 

Luke was again surprised when he found her arms around him. He hesitated at first, but replied by hugging her back. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Kori nodded in reply as Usa stood up also.

"I have to get going, too. It's almost dinner time! I hope you get better soon Kori," said Usagi as she slipped out the door with a small wave. 

Luke left behind Usa, leaving Kori standing with Rei. She looked to her nervously. "You don't mind if I stay, do you?" she asked timidly. 

"No! Not at all. You're always welcome here," replied Rei with a smile. "I need to call my manager about the concert," she noted. She walked over to the other side of the room and picked up a phone by her bed. Rei dialled a number known to herself, and held the phone to her ear. "Hello, this is Rei Hino. I'm performing at the Hospital Benefit...." _pause_ "Yes, I've chosen my piece and I've found a duet partner. Her name is Kori Oneida." _pause_ " I believe so...hold on a sec I'll ask her." Rei covered the bottom half of the phone and leaned towards Kori. "Hey Kori, do you want to do a solo piece? They've got an opening."

Kori's eyes twinkled and she nodded her head vigorously. Her own solo! She couldn't wait. 

Rei turned back to the phone, "Yes she'll do it." _pause_ "All right..." _pause_ "Thanks alot, goodbye." Rei hung up the phone and turned back to Kori, who now stood in front of her excitedly. "Do you even know what song you're going to sing?" she asked her. 

Kori gave her a confused expression, then shook her head no.

"Hmmm, well maybe we could write one. Come on," replied Rei as she walked over to a keyboard sitting in the corner. Rei sat down on its bench and moved over so Kori could sit down also. "Well, let's start with the tune." Rei placed her slender fingers over the keys and started to play a random tune that came to her head.

Kori looked at her confused. This wasn't what she wanted to sing. She stopped Rei's playing and placed her own fingers over the keyboard. She pressed her fingers down and started to play a sweet tune. 

Rei thought the song to be familiar. She wracked her brain for an answer, and gasped when it hit her. She knew the song, of course. A long time ago...a ballroom, it was the very last song that played! "Are you sure you've never heard this song before?" she asked Kori, uncertainty ringing clear in her voice. 

"Pretty sure!" replied Kori with a nod of her head. 

Rei got a piece of paper and wrote down the lyrics of the song on it. She handed it to Kori and told her to sing them to the music. 

Kori took the lyrics and waited for Rei to start playing. When she heard the notes chiming throughout the room, she let her voice sing the song. 

Rei looked to Kori with surprise. She was expecting a little less of her. She sang the song flawlessly, Rei was jealous. 'I just hope she's not better than me...' grumped Rei in her head. 

Kori was very confused. She was very sure she had never heard the song before, but she could have sung it without the piece of paper in front of her. 

When the song ended, Rei was awed. "You sure...?" Rei asked her.

Kori nodded and replied with a small laugh. 

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Well what do yah think? Kori's going to sing! Whee! What'll Luke think of her..? Review, please!


	9. I Will Not Forget You

Author's Notes: Thanks for coming back to read more! "From the Heart" by Hoobastank and "I will not forget you" by Sarah McLachlan are also sung in this chapter. This is my first song-fic type chapter so please bare with me! ^.^' Also, there's a slight shocker... mwee!

Disclaimer: Alright, alright. I don't own Sailor Moon and it's respective copyrights. I do however, own the two leading characters and the story itself. No stealing! 

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**Episode 2: Recollections**

**Chapter 9 - I Will Not Forget You**

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Kori looked to Rei nervously, pulling at the sleeves of her shirt. She was so incredibly nervous, butterflies were on the rampage inside of her stomach. She had never sung in front of a live audience before, she knew that for a fact. If she had then she wouldn't be like this, right? Well, unless she had stage fright... Of course the two friends had practiced numerous times over the past week since Rei had asked her to help, but that was always in private. To Kori, it was a little different singing to actual people.

Her hands fumbled with the papers in her hand. She and Rei were to sing their duet first. At least she could warm up before she had to sing her solo piece. 

Rei pulled at Kori's hand, dragging the distraught amnesiac to her manager so she could meet her. "Ms. Etsuko, I'd like you to meet someone," said Rei, motioning with her hands to the raven and platinum haired girl beside her. "This is Kori Oneida. My duet partner? She's also singing that solo piece."

Ms. Etsuko looked to Rei's friend and smiled sweetly, "Have you ever sung in front of a live audience before, dear?"

Kori's eyes widened and she shook her head as a response. She felt if she spoke at this moment in time, that she would puke. Besides, she didn't want to ruin the lady's nice dress.

"Well then, that's no problem. Just relax. Rei, give her some pointers and help her warm up, please?" chuckled the woman. 

Rei looked to her manager with a warm smile, "Of course!" Rei turned to Kori as her manager walked away. She could see the nervousness swimming around in Kori's eyes. "Look into my eyes Kori and sing the first few verses of the song with me, okay? It'll help you relax a bit," she said helpfully. 

Kori nodded and looked into Rei's dark eyes. Taking in a deep breath, the two started to sing the song quietly. Their voices harmonized together perfectly. The song faded slowly, and Kori looked at Rei with a smile stretching across her face. Rei grinned back. 

"Thanks," started Kori.

"No thanks needed!" beamed Rei with a large smile. 

Kori turned to a boy with a clipboard as he approached her. "Miss Rei?" he asked quietly. 

Rei turned to the boy swiftly, looking directly into his eyes. "Yeah? What do you want?" she replied sharply.

The boy scratched the back of his head and looked to his feet with embarrassment. "You're on next..." he said quietly. 

"What? Speak louder!" she shouted, flying her arms up in the air. 

"Shhh! Rei be quiet!" scorned Kori as she placed her hand on her raven-haired friends shoulder, "He said we're on next."

Rei nodded and dismissed the boy. She looked down at her outfit and smoothed out the wrinkles. 

Kori really liked Rei's dress. It was a knee length red halter dress, and it seemed to somewhat shimmer in the dim light behind the curtains. Rei looked really nice in red, it suited her personality. Kori chuckled at her thoughts. 

Kori looked down at her own dress. The dress was...somewhat revealing. After asking Rei if it was appropriate to wear since there were going to be children at the show, she had almost decided against wearing it. However, after careful persuasion Rei had managed to get her to wear it. The dress itself had no straps, the only thing holding it up was an elastic band inside the fabric. It was black with small blue pinstripes. On her feet she wore knee-high black boots. Around Kori's neck hung a silver chain, and from it hung a silver ring with a pearl embedded in it. She had no idea where the ring had come from, but she felt it had meaning to her so she wore it around her neck just to be safe. 

Kori peaked around the corner of the curtain to see the audience. She stepped back, stunned with what she saw. There were so many people! She looked to Rei nervously and groaned. 

"Don't worry about it, Kori. Just pretend they're all naked and it'll be okay!" said Rei jokingly. It had always worked with her, and she had gotten over her stage fright hadn't she? 

Kori nodded and held Rei's hand tightly. She gasped as she heard her name being called from the stage and she swallowed back her fear. Everything would go fine!

The two friends took a deep breath and walked through the heavy curtains and onto the stage, taking the microphones they were offered. Kori had to squint her eyes to keep the bright light out of her eyes. She waited by the side of the stage with Rei and looked to the announcer. 

"Ladies and gentle, boys and girls, it's my pleasure to introduce Rei Hino and Kori Onedia," said the announcer, gesturing to the two girls, "They're going to sing 'From the Heart' for you." The man exited the stage and left Kori and Rei standing there alone. Rei walked to centre stage and Kori followed.

"Hi everyone! How are you all, tonight?" shouted Rei cheerfully into her microphone excitedly. The crowd replied with a loud roar. 

Kori blinked the light out of her eyes and scanned the crowd. Right there, two rows from the front was Luke. Kori's mouth dropped. He was going to watch her sing? 'Oh boy...' she thought. She looked to her left and there was Usagi, Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, Makoto, Chad, and Ken sitting a few rows back. She groaned as Usa waved to her with a large grin. 

Rei however, was busy introducing themselves. "Most of you already know me as Rei, and my friend here is Kori Oneida. We're going to sing a duet together. It's called 'From the Heart'..." she trailed. Rei lowered the mic from her mouth and waited for the music to start. She looked to Kori with gleaming eyes and Kori replied with a weak smile. 

The music started to drift into the outdoors auditorium. Almost as soon as it had started, Rei lifted her microphone to her lips. She started to sing softly, "There was a time when our dreams felt so real,   
just out of reach but not too far to feel." She reached her hand out quickly and pulled it back to her body as she spoke 'reach'. "Together we'd finally make them come true cause anything's possible when I was with," Rei looked to Kori and smiled as one word came from both their mouths, "you." Rei's voice belted out across the auditorium again, "But they kept on saying we'd never amount to anything!"

Kori stepped forward and the two sang together, their voices intertwining melodically as the music got louder, "All of the dreams we've built up from the ground, they never believed them they just tore them down," The two took a deep breath and placed their hands over their hearts and continued, letting emotions be their voices, "We will rebuild them from the start, we will rebuild them from the heart!"

Rei stepped back so Kori could sing her verse. Kori's mouth opened wide as her voice rang throughout the large room, "Cause once all we wanted seemed so far away, but with every step it was closer each day. The more that we tried it was within our grasp, the more that they told us that it wouldn't," Kori looked to Rei and grinned as they both sang, "last." Kori sang alone once again, "And everyone said we were crazy for giving up everything!"

The two broke into the chorus once more, "All of the dreams we've built up from the ground, they never believed them they just tore them down." Rei reached her hand towards Kori and she grabbed it tightly as the sang beautifully together, "We will rebuild them from the start, we will rebuild them from the heart!" 

Kori let the microphone drop as Rei sang clearly, "From the heart, from the heart, from the heart!"

A guitar broke into a solo as Rei caught her breath. Kori looked bravely into the crowd and sang in a very soft voice alone, her voice picking up volume as progressed through her part, "All of the dreams we've built up from the ground, they never believed them they just tore them down." Rei joined her as they finished the chorus, "We will rebuild them from the start, we will rebuild them from the heart!" Rei proceeded to sing the last chorus as Kori sang back up, "All of the dreams we've built up from the ground (from the ground), they never believed them they just tore them down (tore them down)," Kori bent her knees slightly and flipped her hair around slightly as Rei continued, "We will rebuild them from the start (from the start), we will rebuild them from the heart (from the heart), from the heart (from the heart)." Rei finished off the song with one last, "From the heart..."

The crowd broke into a frantic cheer as the friends held hand and bowed politely to the stage. "Thank you!" shouted Rei as they exited the stage. Kori stumbled as she tried to keep herself from laughing. "Wow, that was so much fun! I wasn't nervous at all once I started to sing!" said Kori cheerfully. 

Rei nodded in agreement, "See? I told you!" she laughed, "Your solo should be after the intermission. Come on, let's go find our friends." Rei grabbed Kori's hand dragged her into the lobby from backstage. 

* * *

Kori looked at Luke nervously. Thank god he hadn't seen her yet. She hadn't really talked to him much in the past week and she felt bad for it. Part of her wanted to see him, yet part of her didn't. 'I wonder what he thought of our duet?' she thought to herself. She personally, couldn't wait until her solo piece. 

She approached Luke and tapped his shoulder, causing him to turn around abruptly. He grinned when he saw her behind her. "Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey to you too," she replied as she tugged at the bottom of her dress. It was just a tad too short...

Luke took in her appearance. She was absolutely stunning. Even more so than their first date had been. The dress she wore fit to her curves splendidly, showing off her body. Not to mention that the dress was stylish. She had kept her hair down, and he so desperately wanted to touch it, to smell it, to just feel it in his hands would be enough. But that ring she wore around her neck, he had seen it somewhere before. Her left finger...Luke gasped when he realized what it was. He wondered where she had found it. However, the fact that she wore comforted Luke. 

Kori blushed when she noticed him staring. Playing with her hair nervously, she tilted her head and looked him in the eye to get his attention.  
"Oh...I'm s-sorry," he stuttered. 'What a moron I am,' he thought to himself. She had caught him staring at her! How embarrassing...

"So..." she said with a smile, "Are you going to watch my next song?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world," he replied.

Kori smiled and gave him a quick hug before running off to get ready for the next act. 

Luke sighed. That hug felt so...right. If only she would remember...Luke turned and headed back to the stage to take his seat. 

* * *

Kori fiddled with the microphone in her hand. She was incredibly nervous again, even more than she had been before. She felt as if something was going to happen, but she didn't know what it was. At least it wasn't the same feeling she had gotten when those Nega people had shown up. She was about to go on stage to perform her solo, and it was near the end of the show. 

After hearing the announcer informed the crowd of her performance, the lights dimmed and she walked onto the stage quietly, taking her place at the front centre stage. 

She waited for the music to start, and was relieved when after what felt like hours the music finally began to play. She waited for the soft guitar solo to end and softly began to sing,

"I remember the nights I watched as you lay sleeping  
Your body gripped by some far away dream,"

She tilted her head slightly to the side and brought slender fingers to hang by her face. She looked into Luke's eyes which she felt watching her from the audience as her voice wavered beautifully with the music, 

"Well I was so scared and so in love then

And so lost in all of you that I had seen,"

She raised her face defiantly and swayed to her voice,

"But no one ever talked in the darkness  
No voice ever added fuel to the fire  
No light ever shone in the doorway  
Deep in the hollow of earthly desires."

She shut her eyes and was surprised to see images flashing past her eyelids. So familiar...

"But if in some dream there was brightness  
If in some memory some sort of sign  
And flesh be revived in the shadows  
Blessed our bodies would lay so entwined."

Kori stared into Luke's blue eyes as she sang the chorus, 

"And I will, oh, I will not forget you  
Nor will I ever let you go  
I will, oh, I will not forget you"

Kori's body filled with emotions that she didn't even knew she held. Her body began to tremble slightly as she finished the chorus and began the next verse,

"I remember when you left in the morning at daybreak  
So silent you stole from my bed  
To go back to the one who possesses your soul  
And I back to the life that I dread."

Luke watched from the crowd as Kori looked into his eyes as she sang. It was as if she was searching his soul for the answers he couldn't give her. But what was that in her eye? A glimmer of hope? Luke gasped as she sang with all her heart,  
"So I ran like the wind to the water  
Please don't leave me again I cried  
And I threw bitter tears at the ocean  
But all that came back was the tide..."

Kori flung her arm behind her as she shut her eyes again and began to sing. Her body was trembling so much now. She began to feel dizzy, but she figured it was just from her nervousness,  
"And I will, oh, I will not forget you  
Nor will I ever let you go,"

Kori smiled and leaned over the stage, reaching her hand out to Luke with a smile as she sang. Luke...Lucas...Moon Kingdom? Kori blinked to clear her vision as she finished up the song,

"I will, oh, I will not forget you,"

She paused for a music break and brought her hand to her head as she waited for her cue. So much was coming to her, so many feeling and emotions. She couldn't explain it if she had to. She looked to Luke who was looking to her with concern and let out a weak smile. She softly began to sing, as if it was just for him, standing on the edge of the stage, 

"And I will oh I will not forget you  
Nor will I ever let you go  
I will oh I will not forget you...

Ohhhhh,

I will, oh, I will not forget you,  
Nor will I ever let you go,  
I will, oh, I will not forget you,

Nor will I ever let you go,  
I will, oh, I will not forget you..."

Kori's vision blurred and went black as she collapsed off the stage and into Luke's arms. 

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Whee! What do you think happened to Kori, hmm? It's pretty damn obvious haha. Currently, I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to take this story from here. There is only one episode left to write, but I'm running out of ideas. If you have any, please give me some opinions! Please review ^.^


	10. Apologies

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long wait . I've had a slight writers block recently, and I got the next couple of chapters laid out. I'm not going tell you what they are though, 'cause that would just ruin it. =:P 

Disclaimer: Alright, alright. I don't own Sailor Moon and it's respective copyrights. I do however, own the two leading characters and the story itself. No stealing! 

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**Episode 3: Triumphs**

**Chapter 10 - Apologies**

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Light filtered through the closed blinds in the small room, bringing Kori out of her tentative slumber. She groaned and brought a hand to her forehead groggily. Where on earth was she? She certainly wasn't at the concert where she last remembered where she had been. Then again, she didn't remember much of anything these days. So many things were coming back to her right now, she flinched as she noticed the piercing headache throbbing in the back of her head. She lifted her head off the pillow slightly to get better bearings of her surroundings. The walls around her were painted to an off-white, and looking at them only made her eyes and headache hurt more. Setting her head back on the pillow gently, she let out a groan. How did she get here? Where was 'here'? Kori guessed she was in a hospital, but that was a wild guess. The last she remembered was falling off a stage eight feet up and into the arms of her boyfriend. '_Boyfriend...?' _Kori's eyes shot open and she bolted up into a sitting position. 'Boyfriend? Luke!' 

"Luke!" she cried out, clutching the sheets of the bed tightly until her knuckles matched the colours of the walls. "Lucas!" she yelled out as a nurse came into the room hastily. 

The raven-haired girl looked at the nurse menacingly. "Where am I? Where's Luke?!" Where was he? She needed to apologize. Even if she had nothing to apologize for, she felt she had the obligation to. She did put him through hell, after all. 

"Do you remember your name, miss?" asked the nurse.

"Yes! I remember everything! _Everything_," she gasped.

The nurse looked at the distraught girl on the hospital bed and continued with her work.

"Just tell me, where is he?!" Kori fought off the nurse trying to take her blood pressure who hadn't replied, but fell silent as she watched a blue-eyed boy walk through the doorway holding a bouquet of lilies. 

"Leave us alone, please."

"But-" refused the nurse.

"Just go, she'll be fine," argued the boy holding the beautiful flowers. 

Kori jumped off the bed and leapt into Luke's arms, hiding her face in his neck. He smelt so...familiar. A familiar she now recognized. She smiled with her own contentment. 

"I'm so...so, sorry," he heard her mutter after some time. 

He smoothed her hair, taking in the scent he had missed so much. "Hush now, it's alright. I'm here. Always have been."

"Yeah I know but...I..." Kori tried to continue but was cut off by her own sobs. 

"Hey, look at me," said Luke gently, "You have nothing to apologize for." He lifted her chin with a finger and he smiled gently as her eyes met his. Although they were glazed over and filled with tears, they were still beautiful. 

"I must have put you through hell and back," she whispered, nuzzling her face back in his neck. After getting no reply, she backed away and sat on the bed, looking at the floor. 

Luke walked over to the bed and sat next to her, draping his arm over her shoulder. The flowers he still held in his hand, and he brought them in front of Kori's face. 

When smelling the faint scent of her favorite flower, she opened her eyes gingerly and smiled. She looked to the boy next to her and pressed her lips against his gently. 

The sensation was breathtaking and Luke didn't know how to handle it at first. For the first few moments he sat there, contemplating on whether he should kiss her back, afraid that she would pull away. He sighed inwardly when she placed more delicate kisses over his lips, and he began to return them. Never in his life had he been so comfortable, and he hoped that there would be many more perfect moments like these in the future. 

* * *

Pulling the dress she had worn at the concert back over her head, she grimaced inwardly as she noticed her headache was still there. Popping back the couple of painkillers the nurse had left for her, she placed the ugly hospital rags on the bed and left the room to join Luke. She had only been in the hospital over the night, so she only had her dress from the concert to wear. Although she wasn't too fond of hospitals, she was glad that her friends had brought her there the second time around. Why they hadn't the first time still ceased to amaze her. 

Kori finally reached the waiting room, and grasped Luke's hand from behind him where he stood waiting. 

"Let's get out of here," he said with a sloppy grin. 

Kori nodded with agreement, a little too much for her own comfort. The headache still lingered in the back of her head, although she had taken the painkillers to relieve it. Hopefully it would disappear over time. 

Leading his newly-awakened girlfriend out of the hospital and out onto the sidewalk in front of it, Luke pulled Kori into an embrace that made her feel like she was going to melt. 

"I missed you."

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Heh heh, short, I know. But this was all I could do for now. I should - key word being _should_ - have the next chapter up shortly and will follow the rest of the team's investigation. 


	11. Questions

Author's Notes: Not much to say here, except enjoy! 

Disclaimer: Alright, alright. I don't own Sailor Moon and it's respective copyrights. I do however, own the two leading characters and the story itself. No stealing! 

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**Episode 3: Triumphs**

**Chapter 11 - Questions**

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Kori walked alongside Luke, holding his hand tightly. They walked down the leaf covered street in the direction of the temple, where the regular soldier meeting was being held. This meeting however, was of urgent importance. Now that Kori was awake and functioning more like her old self, they could continue with their investigation. Luna, for some reason, said that the raven-haired girl may hold some of the answers they needed. Answers to what, Kori didn't know. 

To be totally honest with herself, Kori was a little nervous about the meeting. It had been a couple weeks since she had attended one, and with all that had happened, she thought that she may feel a little out of place. Not to mention, that after a couple days her headache still hadn't left her aching head. It didn't matter how many pain killers she took, it would not go away. It was starting to irritate Kori, thus affecting her attitude. She was more grumpy than she usually was. She rubbed her temples with one hand, still gripping Luke's in her other. 

"Hey," she heard him say, "Are you okay?" He looked at her with concern pouring from his blue eyes. He pulled some of her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. 

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just that, this headache hasn't gone away since the hospital. It's kind of getting worse," she answered, looking up into his cerulean pools. She gave him a weak smile, trying to convince him that she would be alright.

Luke gave a small chuckle at her small attempt to make him feel better. She had failed miserably, but it was the thought that counted. 

The couple slowly approached the temple on top of the hill, and Kori slowly started up the steps leading to it. She reached the entrance and stopped to wait for Luke. She covered her mouth, trying not to laugh as she found him struggling with the last few steps. "You know," she said with a hand on her hip, "You're going to need to get in better shape if you plan on being a Sailor Knight."

Luke threw her a skeptical look and joined her at the top of the stairs. 

Kori approached the sliding doors into the temple, but stopped a few feet away, as if nervous to go in. 

"You don't have to go in if you don't want," reassured the platinum haired boy, planting a hand on her shoulder softly. 

Kori looked to him, a smile stretching across her face. She nodded defiantly, and stepped through the sliding doors, pulling Luke in behind her. 

* * *

"Kori!" yelled Minako excitedly as she saw her raven and platinum-haired friend standing before her. She stood, leaving the comforting grasp of Antonio's arms and ran to Kori, enveloping her in a hug. "We were so worried!" she exclaimed, letting the girl go and stood back. 

"I'm fine now, don't worry!" replied Kori with a grin. Moving aside from Mina, she looked around the room at all her friends. They were sitting anxiously, as if waiting for her to say something. "I'm sorry for worrying all of you," she said softly.

"Don't be sorry! It wasn't your fault!" blurted Chibi-Usa, jumping up and waving her hand around. 

Kori chuckled and sat next to Usa, who replied by giving her a tight hug. "Thanks, Chibi-Usa." She looked to Luke, and motioned for him to sit next to her, and he did so. She had the idea that he was still a tad uncomfortable from what had happened. She had treated him like a complete stranger. She was surprised he had even decided to stick around. When she had asked, he had simply replied with 'I'm your Knight, I'll always be there for you, no matter what happens.' Kori smiled at the memory. It was a memory that she'd be able to keep this time, and she smiled to herself contently. 

Interrupting herself from her thoughts, she looked up across the table to Luna. She tilted her head and gave her a quizzical look. "You wanted to ask me some things, didn't you Luna? Luke told me you did." 

Luna nodded and jumped upon the table, sitting in front of Kori. "What did you see when you were in the coma?"

Kori shifted around uncomfortably in her seat on the floor. Why'd she have to ask _that_? "Well..." she started to say, and gained confidence as she felt Luke's hand rest on her knee, giving it a tight squeeze. She turned to her boyfriend and he gave her a warm smile, giving her the strength to continue. She looked back to the black cat sitting in front of her. "I saw things about my past, in the Moon Kingdom. Everything from when I was born up until...the end," she said. She paused for a moment and waited for Luna's reaction. 

"I see.." she replied.

"It was like it all happened yesterday. It's still all very clear to me." Kori turned to Luke again and looked into his eyes. She remembered absolutely everything. Their first dance, their first kiss, when he had proposed...Her hand clasped the ring that hung on the chain on her neck and she smiled. 

Luke saw her fingers wrap around the silver ring hanging from her neck. He watched as they rubbed the pearl inset into the middle and the intricate designs etched into the silver. He smiled softly when she looked at him. He was glad that she now remembered. He had remembered everything all at once when that incredible light had overtaken him at the last battle. It had been very...confusing. 

"Well, that'll make it a lot easier for us to get the answers we need," said Luna calmly. For such an unfortunate situation, she sure managed to keep her smooth well. "Do you remember any of the people you met?"

Kori nodded in reply, "Yes. Quite vividly."

"Alright. Do you remember a girl with white hair?"

Everyone in the room gasped as they turned to Minako or Mako-chan. How could Kori know this person? She was from the Negaverse! 

Luke tightened his grip on Kori's knee as her face paled. He knew of who Luna spoke of, but only vaguely. 

"I...yes, I know who you speak of. Her name...was Hanako. She was my best friend," answered Kori solemnly. She did not want to speak of this. 

"What ever happened to her, Kori?" Luna asked her cautiously. The last thing she wanted to do right now was upset Kori. So much had happened to her over the past few months. 

"She..." started Kori, choking back a sob.

"Did she...die?"

"No...she was taken. By the Negaverse monsters that took over our palace," she said quietly, remembering the destruction of her home. 

"Then it's just as I feared," noted Luna to Artemis, who nodded his head with agreement. This was not good. 

"Huh, what do you mean Luna?" asked Usagi, who surprisingly, had been silent during the whole meeting up until now. 

Suddenly, the phone rang and Rei stood to answer it. Having no idea who was on the other end of the phone line, she picked it it up cautiously. "Hello?"

Kori leaned over and strained to hear who spoke on the other end. 

"Hey, Rei! It's Ami! Something strange is going on over here, you should all come check it out immediately!" she heard. Ami hadn't shown up, and she had been wondering why. She looked to Usa, who whispered in her ear something about a school project. She looked back to Rei, who had a paled face. 

"We need to go, now!" she said urgently. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sorry to cut it off so short! Didn't have that much time. Hope you enjoyed! It's hard writing 3 stories at once, so I apologize if the updates become somewhat scarce. I'm trying by best though! Let me know what you think!


	12. Abduction

Author's Notes: Sorry I haven't updated in so long T.T I've been really busy and stressed out, and it's hard to write under a lot of stress. In the meantime though, I planned out the rest of the plot line, and we're going to be hitting the climax soon. There's maybe...3-4 chapters left. No more than 5. Also, I'm aware that is cuttin gout my end-scene indicators (damn bitches) so i replaced them in this chapter with **/end scene/.** Sorry for the nuisance.

Disclaimer: Alright, alright. I don't own Sailor Moon and it's respective copyrights. I do however, own the two leading characters and the story itself. No stealing!

**Episode 3: Triumphs**

**Chapter 12 - Abduction**

Usagi led the pack of teenagers down the street, pigtails flying behind her, towards the school from where Ami had called. Rei had told the group of friends that it was urgent. What about though, they didn't know. Kori had assumed another attack had taken place. To her dismay, she figured that it was already to late, that the victim had already been attacked. They would never make it on time...She prayed to any divine beings that Ami would be alright alone.

Kori ran close behind her blonde friend. Although Usa was clumsy and tended to trip over her own feet, she sure could run fast. However, before she knew what was going on, Usagi had come to an abrupt stop and Kori went crashing into her, knocking both to the ground in a heap of pigtails and platinum hair.

"Oh, no! Ami!" Chibi-Usa ran past the two girls struggling to get up from the ground, rushing to her blue haired friend lying on the ground by the entrance of the school. Greg ran after the petite young girl, scooping his girlfriend up into his arms.

"Ami...please, are you okay?" He brushed a few strands of fair hair from her face. There was a massive bruise over her one eye, and her body was adorned by numerous cuts and bruises. What had happened here?

Kori jogged over to the couple, confused as to what happened. "Is she alright?"

"Nnngh..."

"Oh my gosh! Ami?! Are you alright?" cried a distressed Usa, kneeling next to her friend, who just so happened to govern over the planet Mercury.

"Yes, I'm fine," muttered a half-conscious Ami. She brought a hand to her head, touching the bruise adorning her face gently. "I was running...from..." Ami's breathing became unsteady and heavy as she tried to continue.

"Who did this to you?" asked Kori eagerly. Whoever had done this to her friend was going to pay, severely. No one hurt her friends, no matter who they thought they were.

"...I think I know who did," said Makoto bluntly as the wind started to pick up severely, tossing hair and pleated skirts around.

"Over there!" shouted Minako, pointing to a figure appearing in a funnel of wind next to a tree.

The wind died down, leaving a woman standing in white, a bright contrast to the dark sky above her. Her glazed over eyes glowed as she let out a sinister laugh.

"Who...?" muttered Kori as she took a step towards the familiar figure, a gentle breeze lifting her hair around her. 'I know her...But...' she thought. Kori shut her eyes as many memories came flooding to her head. She grasped her head in pain, her eyes shut tight.

White hair.

Flowing robes.

Gardens.

A lily on the marble floor.

"NO!" the raven and platinum-haired beauty shouted as she looked up at the woman grinning nastily above her. She took another step towards her as tears were brought to her eyes. This wasn't happening, no...It couldn't. Not after all these years. What had happened to her? She thought she had died. Her once vibrant green eyes were glazed over with white. "Hanako...?" she muttered aloud, "What...what's happened to you?"

The woman once known as Hanako squinted her eyes in confusion, her eyes starting to glow a menacing ivory. "I know not that name," she spoke, almost melodically. "I am known as Morganite." She jumped gracefully from the trees and landed gently on the ground before Kori. Kori jumped back in surprise and the woman smirked.

"But...Hana!" Kori took another step forward as her her friends yelled out protests to stop from behind her. However, she ignored their pleas, which was the wrong thing to do.

Morganite's eyes opened wide and before Kori knew it, she was being lifted into the air, and she was tossed back harshly.

Luke ran forward and caught her, breaking the impact for her slightly as they both hit the ground hardly, knocking the air out of the knight. Kori sat on the pavement with shock, tears building in her eyes as Luke shook her shoulder in an attempt to bring her out of it.

A sleek black cat ran ahead of the group, some tending to Ami while Luke tried to calm Kori. Luna came to a halt not too far from the woman in white, her claws digging into the ground. "Where is the victim?!" she shouted.

Morganite smirked and lifted her hand in front of her. Luna backed away as a figure formed before her.

"Ms. Fuyuko!" cried Usagi, leaving Ami's side to stand beside her guardian. "Leave her alone at once!"

"Hah!" retorted Morganite with a flip of her long, snow white hair; the wind seemed to breeze unconsciously as she did so, "You're already late little girl."

"Not if I can help it!" cried a disarrayed Kori, pulling out her henshin stick. _"Kryptonite Star Power!"_

If Luna could've, she would've smacked herself in the head with her hand. The last thing they needed was the enemy knowing their civilian forms.

The rest of the group shrugged and followed suit, shouting out henshin phrases as a variety of different coloured lights flashed in front of the school.

When the light faded, the woman once known as Hanako lowered her arm from her face, and almost fell to the ground at the sight. Eleven sailor senshi and knights stood before her.

What Luna saw after the group transformed made her curious. The glow in the woman's eyes had lessened, and she seemed to be struggling to stay above them in the air. 'Does the soldiers' presence make her weaker..?' she thought. She voiced her thoughts to Artemis quietly, and he agreed. This would definitely be an advantage on their part.

Morganite raised her hand in the air, and the teacher who had remained floating next to her fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. Ami, who had not transformed with the rest, struggled to drag herself next to her to see if she was alive. Just as she suspected, Usa and Kori's teacher was comatose. She lifted her head and gave a weak groan, "Where is the crystal...?"

Morganite laughed melodically and gave a sinister smile, "Right where it belongs: with me!" The lengthy woman lifted a slender hand, her hair defying gravity and lifting around her as her eyes glowed brightly.

The ground lifted, and shot towards them in a ripple that reminded Kori of a wave.

"Watch out!" shouted Venus Knight, hugging his counterpart into an embrace to protect Sailor Venus.

Some managed to dodge the powerful attack, but the Venus warriors, as well as Sailor Mars, Jupiter Knight, Sailor Krypton, and Mercury Knight were knocked to the ground, knocking the air out of all of them.

Sailor Krypton lifted herself onto her knees, trying to catch her breath as she ignored the pain swelling throughout her head. "No...!" she shouted hoarsely, "You can't do this!" She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked behind her, to see Krypton Knight's warm gaze swallowing her whole.

"There's nothing we can do, not right now," he told her.

Kori nodded and pushed herself to her feet, watching as her friends attempted to bring her old friend down. One by one they tired out, but she would not give up. With tear filled eyes, Kori slowly started to run at Morganite, her sleek black hair flying behind her as she clenched her fists. Time seemed to slow as she brought her fist back and threw it forward, aiming for the beautiful face that was once her friend. Her fist seemed to stop and she felt a strong impact hit her stomach, and next thing she knew she was on her back ten feet from where she last stood. Groaning, she rolled over as Krypton Knight ran to her side.

Krypton Knight yelled, anger taking control of his actions. He ran towards Morganite lifting his sword above his head, bringing it down as it the unique blade glowed blue. _"Krypton Hyper Sword!"_

Morganite smirked, dodging the attack easily. She grabbed a hold of Krypton Knight, and before he knew what was happening, she had him in a tight headlock.

Sailor Krypton jumped to her feet instantly as the wind picked up around them. "No!" she cried.

As Krypton Knight struggled to get away, Morganite tightened her surprisingly strong grip and laughed madly, "Say goodbye to your friends!"

Sailor Krypton dashed towards her counterpart, reaching out her hand as he and Morganite, along with the Pure Energy Crystal, disappeared into the wind that surrounded them.

"NO!" she cried, falling to her knees and slamming her fists into the ground. "This isn't happening! LUKE!!"

**/end scene/**

He was gone. She still couldn't believe it. She had just got him back, and then this. Why did she have to be so careless? She could've saved him. But no, she didn't. That bitch that had once been her friend had taken him, and now he was gone. Who knew, he could've been dead.

She stared at the table before her dully, the memories of just an hour ago replaying in her mind over and over like a broken record. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she struggled to not let them fall.

"Don't worry Kori, we'll get him back," said Chibi-Usa softly, giving her friend a comforting hug.

"It was all my fault..." she muttered quietly.

Usagi slammed her hand down onto the table, an angry expression upon her face. "It was not your fault! It was that crazy Morganite, Kori! Don't blame yourself!"

Kori's face reddened and she brought it up to face her friend. "Did you have any idea of who that was?!" she shouted.

Usa shrunk back in her seat and nodded.

"You don't know what it's like, to have someone stolen from you like that..." she muttered bitterly, the tears that had threatened to pour over now sliding down her cheeks.

"Yes, Kori, I do know what it's like," noted Usa, placing her hand on Mamoru's knee.

Kori lifted her head in question, and listened as Usagi told her of Queen Beryl kidnapping her love. She was somewhat shocked that Usa could relate, and only shrugged. There was still many possibilities of what was being done to him. Kori choked back the sobs she could barely suppress as she thought of them.

Ami, who had been bandaged up and quiet up to this point, spoke up, "I think I may have found a way to track them down." Everyone's interest was immediately on her. "Whenever they transport from our dimension to theirs, it leaves traces of those coordinates on the protons in the air. If I can trace those coordinates with my computer, we may be able to teleport ourselves there also. The only problem is we'd have to lure them here or wait for their next attack."

"Good work, dudette! But, how are we going to find lure them?" asked Chad.

"Unfortunately," replied Ami, "We're going to have to wait for them to attack the next target. Another problem is we don't know who the next holder is, and there doesn't seem to be any pattern."

"We can easily solve that," noted Makoto. "We set up posts around the city and keep in contact."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Kori remained silent. "It's no use..." she whispered to herself, glad that no one heard her.

**/end scene/**

"Agh! Let me go!"

Morganite dragged Krypton Knight along side her, still holding him in a head lock.

Krypton Knight had no idea where they were. It almost looked as if they were on a different planet, but it was hard to tell when all he could see was the ground. 'I'm never going to see Kori again...' he thought to himself. How could he have let this happen to himself? All he could think about was if Kori was alright, he didn't care what happened to him.

Next thing he knew, Morganite had released her hold on him and tossed him to the ground effortlessly. He let took in a deeply need breath, and looked up slowly as he felt another presence nearby.

The aura around the man before him he could tell was pure evil, he could feel it in his bones. Familiarity struck him, and he lunged at the man, anger tearing at his insides. "YOU!" His body was sent hurtling back, and he hit head head hard as he hit the ground.

_Unbeknownst to the couple, the Knight's opponent had followed him off the field and was now watching them carefully from a yard away. He was shocked to see the woman in his arms was none other than the Krypton Princess herself. The being chuckled softly to himself and raised its sword above his head. The sword plunged into the princess' back and he laughed as he pulled it out, watching blood pour from the wound. _

_Kori's mouth dropped and the air was released from her lungs as she felt something slide through her stomach. The pain! It was tremendous. She put her hands to her stomach and lifted her now bloody hands to eye level. Her knees buckled and she felt herself fall to the ground. _

_Lucas growled at the being behind Kori and charged at him with all the anger he never knew he could possess. No one touched her! No one! He swung his sword at the being but it simply laughed at him and vanished into a purple smoke._

Varisite laughed sinisterly, Morganite's own melodious giggles joining his. The snow-white beauty grabbed a hold of the shocked Krypton Knight and dragged him away, the laughs echoing and fading from earshot as they travelled down familiar corridors. Eventually they stopped in a dark room, and as she tossed him into a dark cocoon-like chamber she whispered in his ear, "Sweet dreams, sir Knight" and kissed him on the cheek as sleep enveloped him.

**/end notes/**

Hope that satisfied all your action-suspense needs everyone!


	13. The Desert Planet

Author's Notes: The climax is coming up soon! In case you haven't realized, I have posted the prologue for my new fic 'A Vampire's Innocence'. The first chapter for that is still being written, so sorry to any readers. I'm putting a lot more effort into it. I'm going to be juggling this story as well as the new one, so be patient if new chapters take longer than you expected. Hope you enjoy the new update!

Disclaimer: Alright, alright. I don't own Sailor Moon and it's respective copyrights. I do however, own the two leading characters and the story itself. No stealing!

* * *

**Episode 3: Triumphs**

**Chapter 13 - The Desert Planet**

* * *

She sat, and she stared. And stared...and stared.

She couldn't help but have her pale grey eyes glued to the desk she sat in. The emotions dwelling inside of her were so strong that she felt if she moved an inch, she would burst into a million pieces of human flesh. Well not _really_, but that's what it felt like.

The substitute teacher stood at the board in front of the class, writing down notes and droning on about a lessen that Kori wasn't listening to, or wanting to listen to. Ms. Fuyuko was still in a coma, just like all of the other victims that had unwillingly possessed a Pure Energy Crystal. She had been the only one to awaken. They needed to end this, and soon. But how was she going to do this without Lucas?

She knew that Usagi kept glancing in her direction every two minutes, as if she was checking up on her, concern gleaming through her brilliant blue eyes. But she didn't need anyone's pity. She could take care of herself, she wasn't a baby.

Oh who was she kidding.

She was miserable. How was she going to make it through this? So much had happened in such a short amount of time, and it was almost as if her brain was still two miles behind her.

But what hurt her the most, was that Luke wasn't there to comfort her. He had been snatched away from her right before her very eyes, and there had been nothing she could have done to prevent it. Even if she had tried to stop Morganite, the woman was too strong and there would have been no hope of her stopping her.

Kori raised her eyes for a brief moment to glance in the seat that Lucas normally occupied. Still, it was empty. A part of her had hoped that he would be sitting there smiling at her, his cerulean eyes twinkling.

Kori's stomach lowered as she felt her lower lip start to waver and tears start to fill her eyes. This was just too hard to handle. Was this what it had been for Luke when she had been in the coma? At least he had had some physical verification that she was alright. She didn't have that. For all she knew, he could be being tortured or even worse, dead.

Kori rose from her seat suddenly and Usagi looked up at her with surprise. She ignored the look that her friend gave her and headed for the classroom door, muttering to the bewildered teacher that she needed to be excused.

Usagi's brow furrowed and out of genuine concern she stood also. As she passed the teacher (whose name she didn't even know), she said "I'm going to make sure she's alright," and left after her distraught friend.

Kori walked down the hallways quickly, the world around her becoming blurry as she fought to blink back the tears that were threatening to fall over her eyelids.

"Kori!" called Usagi behind her.

Kori turned towards the blurry figure approaching her. "Usa...?" she whispered hoarsely, trying to choke back a sob. She took a step towards her friend, but stopped mid-step. A tingly feeling was taking a hold of her body, the same feeling she felt in her blood when the Negaverse was nearby.

She rubbed the tears from her eyes and looked around her, "Do you feel that?"

Usagi nodded and grabbed Kori's hand, making a mad dash down the hallway and out of the school.

Kori took the lead, running ahead of Usagi as the blonde flipped open her communicator and called the rest of the team.

"Usagi, what is it?!" Kori heard Rei screech, and she couldn't help but turn her head and chuckle.

"That Negacreep is nearby! We can feel her, Kori's leading the way. You guys need to get to us, quick; we'll need help," replied Usagi with irritation. Why did Rei always need to be so rude?

"Whereabouts are you guys?" asked Makoto.

Usagi lifted her head, but before she could ask Kori responded, "We're heading toward the tower!"

A few minutes passed, and eventually Kori and Usagi reached the bottom of the tower. A few of their friends were already waiting there impatiently, and they started their way up the tower. They boarded the elevator anxiously.

When the steel doors finally opened at the top floor, Kori was the first one out. Making a mad dash, she stopped abruptly, a few of her friends bumping into her. "Where is he?!" she screamed at the figure standing the in the middle of the platform.

Morganite laughed shrilly and gave her old friend a small wave, lifting up a tour guide and tossing him to the floor. Before Kori or anyone could say, or do anything else, the air around them picked up and the white-haired beauty disappeared into thin air, along with the fourth Pure Energy Crystal.

"Damnit!" yelled Kori with a stomp of her foot.

_"Mercury Star Power!"_

When she was done transforming, Sailor Mercury quickly took out her mini-computer and activated her visor, checking for traces of the coordinates of the enemy's hideout.

"Aha!" she gasped as she locked onto them. Saving them in her computer, she turned to everyone behind her with a small smile, "I have them."

"Well what are we waiting for let's get going!" complained Chibi-Usa.

"It's not exactly going to be that easy," noted Luna sceptically.

"She's right," replied Ami, typing information into her little computer. "These coordinates are way off the charts, I don't even think they're on this planet."

Kori arched a brow, "But we still need to get there, right? So let's go end this!" 'Now, please...' she begged mentally.

Everyone nodded, muttering henshin phrases as light enveloped the group. Almost as soon as the light had appeared, it was gone, and standing in it's place was the complete group of Sailor Senshi, skirts, tiara's, and all.

The large group turned to form a circle, held hands, and concentrated the magic inside of them to aid them. As each senshi shouted out their individual henshin phrase, a light erupted from from their forehead in the shape of their planetary symbol. It was almost as if they were defying gravity itself as their hair and clothes picked up around the group, and eventually their whole bodies. Then with a bright flash of light they were gone, the only remnants that they had been there the tour guide and a few loose papers fluttering about like feathers in the wind.

* * *

What Kori saw when she opened her eyes after teleporting made her stomach rise up her throat.

Barren land. Almost as far as the eye could see. Crumbled walls of a palace she had once called home stood bravely amidst a large pile of rubble. The marble's sheen had long faded, being replaced by dirt and grime the wind had swept across the land. The two enormous towers that had once stood on either side of the castle, like giant arms, had tumbled to the ground and no longer stood.

She turned her silvery eyes to the left and against the dark night sky, blocked out by the many asteroids unlike it had on the best night of her life...

_Princess Kori looked to the sky of her planet quietly. The sky had no moons, just stars. Stars that twinkled from every corner of her eye. The sky was very clear that night, which was slightly unusual because the asteroid field often covered it completely. It was so clear she could even make out other planets in the distance. There was the kingdom of Mars, the bright glowing red in the sky. And there was Jupiter, sitting solitary by itself. She looked to her left and caught a glimpse of Venus, known to be the planet of love. _

She saw the reflection of the marble gardens that she had once been in love with. Lack of tending to the once-beautiful gardens left them wilting and full of weeds. It brought tears to her eyes without even thinking of it.

"Where are we...?" came the whisper from someone behind her, she didn't care who it had been. The picture before her brought a large shock, and desperation. She would save Luke, she would save her home. What she didn't understand though, was why the enemy was in _her_ home. What did they want with it? It was of no use to them. Many questions flooded her stressed mind, none of which she could answer. But the question that nagged her the most, was: _Where was Lucas?_

Taking a deep breath, Kori took a step forward as Sailor Krypton, toward grand front doors of the palace. She heard her friends follow behind her with no questions asked, they all had a good idea of where they were. They knew that this was her journey, her story, she needed to do this. However, she had their support, their comfort.

Looking up at the great marble doors that towered high above her head, she out a wavered sigh. The beautiful carvings of angels, saints, and other beautiful creatures etched into the stone had been dulled and eroded over the years, and she squeezed the image out of her mind. Pressing gloved hands over the doors, she gave a hard push and the doors swung open surprisingly easy.

Regaining her posture as she had stumbled slightly forward when the doors gave way, took a step forward through the door, her friends following bravely behind her as they disappeared into the darkness, and whatever fate had planned for them.


End file.
